Formula RWBY
by jws381
Summary: RWBY 1970's F1 AU. *Sequel to RWBY Grand Prix, taking place 5 years later.* F1 has changed in the last five years. Yang, Weiss and Pyrrha have won the last five titles between them, but the veteran Winter is not just going to let them have it their own way. New challenges and challengers await. Dedicated to Monty. Cover image for RWBY Turbo by jo3mm on Tumblr.
1. A New Season

**Author's Note:** In case you didn't read it in the fic description, this is a sequel to RWBY Grand Prix. As in that story, I will be putting a little inspirations and inaccuracies section at the end. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1

 _Five Years Ago_

Just a few hours removed from winning the championship, Pyrrha was still in disbelief. The other contenders, their friends, and assorted hangers-on had insisted on taking her to dinner to celebrate. She would just as soon have headed back to her hotel to get to sleep early, but she did not want to disappoint the others. Winter took the group to an impossibly fancy restaurant in the middle of Atlas City. With just a few words they had a private room and a table to accommodate the dozen or so in the group.

Pyrrha had pride of place at the head of the table, a position she was a bit embarrassed by. The other drivers were clustered around her except for Winter who sat at the other end. Champagne was served to everyone, even Ruby who was obviously below the legal drinking age. Winter stood, held her glass high, and clinked some silverware against it. "A toast." She announced. "To Pyrrha. You're an incredible driver and I see many titles in your future. And to everyone else. It's been an incredible season and I'm honored to have shared the track with you."

Yang, sitting at Pyrrha's immediate right, briefly raised her glass before downing it. "Congrats." She said with a smile. She motioned to a waiter for a refill then immediately downed it as well. She was putting on a brave face but after coming so close only to lose on a tiebreaker, she was surely devastated.

"You deserve that trophy more than I do." Pyrrha whispered to Yang. "If you hadn't stopped to save Winter at Menagerie you'd be the champion, not me."

Yang shrugged. "Or the engine would have grenaded and the result would have been the same." She said. "You were the best driver out there this year, no doubt about it. You earned it."

"Thank you, but…" Pyrrha started.

"Besides, I'll get you next year." Yang cut her off. "With a year under her belt no one's going to make a better car than Ruby."

"I don't know, with decent engines I'll be even faster." Pyrrha said. "You'll have your work cut out for you."

"I'm going to annihilate both of you." Weiss declared. After one glass of champagne she was already showing signs of drunkenness.

"What a lightweight." Yang sighed. "Lay off the juice kid."

"Who are you calling kid?" Weiss said.

The fight was headed off by Neon and Flynt. The pair had tagged along, always on the lookout for a good party. They acquired bottles of champagne, shook them up, and set about soaking the assembled guests. Taken by surprise, the wait staff failed to spirit away the remaining bottles and soon almost everyone at the table was armed. "Thankfully the food isn't out yet." Glynda groaned as the battle escalated with flying rolls hurled across the room by Nora. "These children just love to play with their food."

"Let them have fun." Ozpin said. "I seem to remember a certain young driver who had her share of wild parties." Glynda rolled her eyes, a knowing smile on her lips.

Before the night was over the place was basically trashed. Somehow everyone walked away uninjured and not in police custody. Winter wrote a check to cover the damages but it was very clear that none of them were welcome at the restaurant again. It was a fitting way to close a season of chaos and excitement the likes of which was rarely seen.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Yang lay on a deck chair beside the pool, wearing a bikini that was probably too small, just relaxing in the sun. South Vacuo was the site of the season's first race and the weather was fantastic this time of year, invariably sunny and warm. Someone walked up and stood over her, blocking the sun. She lifted her sunglasses to take a look. "What do you want Weiss?" She asked.

"I know you're enjoying yourself but it's time to go to the track." Weiss replied.

"You should really give tanning a shot." Yang suggested. "You could use some color. You're the palest person I know."

"I think I'll pass." Weiss said.

"You're worried about how you'll look in a bikini, I get that." Yang laughed. "We can't all be so lucky."

"Why you…" Weiss seethed. She grabbed the side of Yang's chair and flipped it over, dumping Yang onto the concrete. "Get dressed. I will not be late."

"Fine, fine." Yang said as she picked herself up. "Calm down, I'm just messing with you."

The pair still drove for Beacon GP. Though they had started as enemies and still had their arguments, they had become good friends over the intervening five years. Those five years had been a whirlwind. Pyrrha had been champion in their rookie season, winning by the slimmest of margins. The following year Beacon GP was dominant as Schnee Automotive hit a downswing and Yang took the title, clinching with a race to go. The year after that was similar but Weiss won out by a single point. Then things in Formula 1 started to change. Someone had a bright idea: instead of just using aerodynamics to go fast in a straight line, why not use the air to help get round the corners. The cars sprouted wings. Nora turned out to be a brilliant aerodynamicist - a surprise given her tendency to solve all problems by hitting them with a hammer - and Team Juniper was the class of the field. Pyrrha won two consecutive titles and entered the current season on a three race winning streak.

Testing, however, showed signs that this year would not be quite so uncompetitive. Pyrrha was still fast (Jaune was still not), but Beacon GP was right there. They shared the same engines - branded Gambol Shroud and developed by the team of Blake, Ren and Penny - as in the previous four years, but Ruby had apparently learned a thing or two about making the aero work. Schnee Automotive was ominously fast as well. Blake and then Penny had been major parts of their engine program and after their departures it took years to recover. They had also struggled to find a decent driver to team with Winter. Ciel was back, mediocre as ever, but she was an expert at setting up cars. Winter had been at least as fast as Beacon GP and Team Juniper.

As for the rest of the field, much had changed in the previous few years. Sun and Neptune left Team Haven and formed their own team, SeaMonkeys F1, and were replaced at Haven by Scarlet David and Sage Ayana. After a few years of being comprehensively outrun by Coco, Yatsuhashi was replaced at Coffee Inc. and retired, his seat taken by Fox Alistair. The lineup at Phase Two had remained the same, though over the previous few years injuries had seen some replacement drivers in and out of the cars. Cardinal Motors had experienced tragedy when Sky Lark was killed in a crash, now replaced by Russel Thrush. WFR still ran with Adam and Francois Banesaw, the team's lack of funding and speed preventing them from acquiring better drivers. Team Funky had folded two years previously - with Neon and Flynt focusing their time and money on partying rather than driving - and were replaced on the grid by Indigo Motorsports - who had purchased their equipment - with drivers Dew Gayl and Gwen Darcy. Maiden Racing never returned after Amber Autumn's death, instead selling their equipment to a group that started Auburn Racing Team with drivers Arslan Atlan and Bolin Hori. This year there would be another new team, bringing the field to 22. The Bronze Car Company entered a factory effort with drivers May Zedong and Nolan Porfirio.

Besides the aerodynamics and personnel, there had been other changes to the world of F1. It was a lot safer. Two deaths and a handful of injuries in four years was a marked improvement. A lot of that had to do with Winter. As chair of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association she organized the drivers to campaign for safety. Not everyone joined her, but she had the pull and the support necessary to make changes happen. Tracks had to have reasonable measures in place to ensure the competitors' safety and at her insistence changes had been made to the regulations to make the cars safer as well. It was still a terrifyingly dangerous sport, but there was now at least a sanity to it. The schedule also expanded, bringing F1 to more places around Remnant than ever before. The popularity exploded and television coverage became more common. Sponsors entered the sport, bringing an influx of cash the previous generation's teams and drivers could not have dreamed of. It was the dawn of a new era and everyone knew it. All that remained, as always, was to see who was fastest.

* * *

Yang and Weiss arrived at their garage. Inside sat two brand new silver cars, numbered 3 and 4. They were vastly different from five years ago. The part of the car occupied by the driver was mostly the same, still more or less a tube stuffed with fuel tanks, with the engine - still branded a Gambol Shroud but much improved - bolted to the back. Then there was the aero. On the front was a wing that looked vaguely like an upturned snow shovel with the main cooling intake built into it. Just behind the driver and above the engine was a scoop to ram air into the motor. Behind that, just over the rear wheels, was what amounted to a pair of upside-down airplane wings connected by small oval endplates. The livery was different too. Gone was the plain silver with just the number, driver, and team name. Now the sides, nose and wings displayed logos for Beacon Motorworks and their StormFlower customer engines.

Team Juniper's cars shared the same engine, but their appearance was entirely different. The car was wedge-shaped and angular, tapering to a point at the front. One either side of the nose was a small wing. The cooling intake was not at the front, but was split into two, one boxy intake on either side just in front of the rear wheels. A scoop similar to that of the Beacon cars sat atop the engine to feed it air. The rear wing was similar as well. Aside from the numbers, 1 and 2, and driver and team names, the blue cars featured the same logos for Beacon Motorworks and the StormFlower. In addition, Pyrrha's car displayed logos for a few of her personal sponsors.

Schnee Automotive brought its own unique design as well. Their spotless white cars displayed the numbers 5 and 6 with only driver names and team logos, no sponsors. The main chassis of the car was the closest to what would have been seen five years before. It was a rounded tube but flattened, tapering to a narrow cooling intake at the front. The nose featured a pair of small wings like the Juniper cars. There was no scoop over the engine but the rear wing closely mirrored what the others had. Their engine was rumored to be Schnee Automotive's most powerful in years, a true contender.

Cars of various shapes, sizes and colors rounded out the field. Testing promised a competitive season but no one would know for sure until the cars were on track for the real thing. But before that, there was a surprise in store.

* * *

Ironwood stepped into the Beacon GP garage. "Winter Schnee is hosting a press conference in the media center and has requested that Weiss and Yang attend." Ironwood reported. "It's starting in a few minutes so you should head there now."

"What's this about Weiss?" Yang asked.

"I have no idea." Weiss replied.

Pyrrha suddenly arrived with Jaune in tow. "Did Winter ask you to go to her press conference too?" She asked.

"Yep." Yang replied.

"It looks like all the drivers were invited." Pyrrha said. "Do you guys know what it's about?"

"I have no idea." Weiss repeated. "I guess we'll just have to go and see."

The four drivers - with Ruby, Blake, Ren, and Nora tagging along - headed to the media center. They filed in, standing along the back wall with the other drivers and team personnel. All the seats were occupied by members of the international press and staff from Schnee Automotive. Microphones were arrayed atop the podium at the head of the room and video cameras were set up nearby. Whatever Winter was going to say, it was important.

Winter entered the room to the pops of flashbulbs and made her way to the podium. She took a moment to collect herself, then wasted no time in getting down to business. "I've called you here to announce my retirement, effective at the end of the season." She said. There were audible gasps followed by whispers and a general restlessness. Winter waited for the noise to die down before continuing. "I've had a wonderful career. It's been an honor and a privilege to race for all these years with and against such incredible drivers. I know that in the last few years Schnee Automotive has not seen the success to which we have become accustomed, but that did not factor into my decision. I've simply decided that I've had my fun and it's time to pass the torch to the next generation." She paused and some of the reporters began shouting questions. Winter waved her arms to quiet them then went on. "I'll still be around the track. I'm going to dedicate my time to making racing safer. We've made great strides in these last few years but there's still a long way to go. I won't rest until a driver can step into a Formula 1 car without having to worry about never stepping out again. I'll still need help and solidarity from the drivers if the improvements are going to stick. To ease the transition, I'm resigning my position as head of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. As my last act as chair, I officially call for an immediate vote to select the new chair." Winter scanned the back of the room, looking at the assembled drivers. Most of them were present, enough to make the vote official at least. "I nominate Weiss Schnee." Winter said. Weiss sighed heavily and shook her head, covering her face with her hand. "Are there any other nominees?"

Yang raised her hand. "Pyrrha Nikos." She said.

Pyrrha was taken aback by the nomination. "I couldn't possibly…" She started.

"Anyone else?" Winter asked. There were no takers. "Very well. All for Weiss Schnee." She raised her hand, joined by many of the other drivers but curiously not Weiss herself. "All for Pyrrha Nikos." Weiss, Yang, Jaune and several others raised their hands. Pyrrha had not voted. "And the winner, by one vote, is Pyrrha Nikos. Congratulations. I suppose it's only fair that the two-time defending champion is our leader. Care to come up and say a few words?"

Pyrrha was mortified. She was a private person and hated the spotlight. Resigned to her fate, she walked up to the podium. Winter stepped away and the reporters shouted more questions. She just shook her head and made her way to the back of the room. Pyrrha stepped up to the podium and cleared her throat. "I hope I can live up to Winter's example and all of your expectations." She said. "As my first act as chair, I name Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao-Long as directors." Weiss was already a director under Winter and Yang would replace the recently retired Yatsuhashi. "Now, if the directors would please join me in private…" Pyrrha motioned to a side door that led to a small conference room. She headed inside, followed by the two others as the reporters again shouted questions that went unanswered. Winter followed the trio. Schnee Automotive's PR director took the stage and fielded questions from the assembled press but with the key drivers out the meeting began to break up.

* * *

"Weiss, how on Remnant did you not know about this?" Yang demanded once the door was closed.

"That's easy." Winter said. "I didn't tell her. I didn't tell anyone. I feel bad for our PR guy because I blindsided him and now he has to deal with the media."

"We should have talked about this." Weiss complained. "Retiring is a big decision."

"I'm sorry but I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone." Winter said. "And nothing you could say would change my mind. Racing isn't fun anymore. I'm too afraid, but not for myself. It's hard to go out there knowing my friends could die and the more time passes the worse it gets. I want to dedicate myself to sparing you and your generation that pain."

"Why did you nominate me?" Weiss asked. "You know I'm not interested in leading the GPDA."

"You're afraid to follow in my footsteps." Winter said. "You've spent your whole life trying to step out of my shadow and you think leading the GPDA would put you there again." It was hard for Weiss to hear it stated so plainly but Winter was correct. "I see it differently. You can surpass what I achieved, on and off the track. I set the groundwork but you can take it to new heights."

"You can have the position if you want it." Pyrrha offered.

"Maybe next year." Weiss said. "I'm not ready."

"I think you are, but you know yourself better than anyone else." Winter said.

"Yang, why in the world did you nominate me?" Pyrrha asked. She tried not to sound annoyed but she was clearly furious.

"I could see from the look on Weiss' face that she didn't want to do it." Yang replied. "Besides, you're the best driver out there. Your opinion carries more weight than anyone else's, except maybe Winter's."

"But I don't care about that." Pyrrha protested. "I don't want my opinion to carry weight. What I think doesn't matter."

"Sure it does." Winter encouraged. "You're a three-time champion. Whether you like it or not what you think matters. You can be an instrument of change. All you have to do is say the word."

"You realize that I've been desperately trying to stay out of the spotlight." Pyrrha sighed. "This is only going to draw more attention that I don't want. I just want to focus on my driving and live a quiet life off the track."

"If you wanted a quiet life you should have chosen a different career." Weiss observed. "Seriously, it would be hard to pick one that's worse. Maybe movie star? Politician?"

"I get that." Pyrrha said. "The fans and the press are going to be all over me anyway. I've accepted that. Now the drivers are going to treat me differently. How can you view me as an equal when I have a title like this?"

"If you want me to view you as an equal I can do that." Yang said. "The people who matter aren't going to treat you differently so what are you worried about?"

"If it helps, Yang and I can act as spokespersons for you." Weiss offered. "That'll take away some of the heat from the press."

"That could work." Pyrrha said. "I'd also like to have your agreement on all decisions. It should never come down to just my opinion."

"Of course." Yang said. "We're a team. I'm not here to just rubber stamp everything you say."

"See, it's already working beautifully." Winter said. "I'll leave you three alone and you can work out what to do about the Emerald Forest."

"The Emerald Forest?" Pyrrha asked.

"They're dragging their feet on the promised safety improvements." Winter explained. "This is the perfect opportunity to make your marks, to show you mean business just as much as I do. You need to convince them to make the changes before this year's race. I would hate to have another Mistral situation." The fearsome Mistral Circuit, a collection of public roads with no safety measures whatsoever, had been the target of a successful driver boycott. Now Mistral's grand prix was held at a modern closed circuit, but only after a year in which no race was held in the kingdom. Winter headed out the door. "Good luck!"

* * *

 **Inspirations:**

\- Back in the 50's, 60's and 70's, F1 drivers were notorious for wild parties and wacky shenanigans. The one described here is a toned down version of a story told by Dr. Sid Watkins in his book _Beyond the Limit_. In the actual event the projectiles were not rolls but ceramic plates.

\- The present day portions of the story are vaguely based on the 1971 F1 Season. This places it five years after the events of RWBY Grand Prix.

\- South Vacuo is meant to be South Africa, the track Kyalami.

\- Yang sunning herself by the hotel pool is actually based on a story about Michael Schumacher from the early 90's.

\- The Gambol Shroud and StormFlower engines are based on the Cosworth DFV, probably the greatest engine in F1 history.

\- Winter is based on Jackie Stewart.

\- The Beacon GP car is based on the Tyrrell 003.

\- The Team Junuper car is based on the Lotus 72C/D.

\- The Schnee Automotive car is based on the Ferrari 312B.

\- The Emerald Forest is based on the Nurburgring.

\- The Mistral Circuit is based on Spa.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms:**

\- As in RWBY Grand Prix, this is not going to be an exhaustive list. If you find something I don't mention, feel free to say so. I may have just forgotten to include it.

\- It's all been mentioned in RWBY Grand Prix, but I'll go ahead and repeat a few things for those just joining us and those who forgot. Team composition is unrealistic (cars were not designed by one person, engines were not designed by a team of three, etc.), team's with 2 regular drivers with season-long numbers did not come until later, women drivers were almost unheard of, the format of the race weekends is anachronistically modern and the constructor's points will be calculated using the modern system combined with the period-accurate 9-6-4-3-2-1 scoring.

\- The timing of the introduction of wings to F1 is not quite as described. It's both time-shifted and oversimplified.

\- The casualty rate of 1967-70 is higher than described.

\- The successful boycott of Spa took place in 1971, not 1970 as in this story. The Belgian Grand Prix was not run at the track until it was totally redesigned, the first F1 race at the new course taking place in 1983. A boycott of the Nurburgring took place in 1970 and the track was updated for the 1971 race after the 1970 German Grand Prix was held at Hockenheim.


	2. South Vacuo GP

Chapter 2

 _Four Years Earlier_

Formula 1 visited the South Vacuo circuit for the first time. It was an immediate hit with the drivers. The weather was warm and sunny, the track was state-of-the-art, and it was genuinely fun to drive. By time trials, however, it was becoming less and less popular. That had nothing to do with the track itself. It had everything to do with Yang. In every session she was more than a second clear of her nearest competitors. Even Weiss, with identical equipment, could not match her pace. Either something about the track just agreed with Yang, or she was getting more out of her Crescent Rose Mk. 4 chassis than her teammate.

Yang went out at the beginning of qualifying and laid down a blistering lap. She gained a full two seconds on her previous best practice time. She pulled into the garage, got out of the car, took off her helmet and balaclava and went behind the garage to get some sun. She knew no one would beat her time and so did everyone else. Weiss managed a distant runner-up, over a second behind, when she too pulled in and decided her session was over. She was surprised to have even gotten that close. The rest of the field was two seconds adrift of her.

The front row may have been a foregone conclusion, but there were other grid spots to fight over. Pyrrha put her car in third but Winter was close behind. The Schnee Automotive cars were not showing their customary speed, seemingly down on power, but Winter made up a lot of ground with sheer skill and daring in the corners. As the clock ticked toward zero Pyrrha and Winter set out for one last run. Pyrrha started her lap first. She rocketed out of turn 8, Lion's Head, blasted down the short straight before the flat out turn 9, The Kink, and roared uphill across the line to begin her lap.

Winter was close behind. She got a good launch out of Lion's Head but something was amiss. The engine did not sound quite right. Winter just needed it to hold on for one lap. It did not. As she approached The Kink a loud metallic bang signaled the engine's demise. Oil poured from the shattered block, spraying onto the track underneath the car. The car's rear wheels in its own oil, Winter's vehicle began to slide. She entered The Kink completely sideways, shot straight off the track and slapped the armco side-on. The car slid down the track a ways, coming to rest in the grass verge just in front of the grandstands.

Winter had been going fast and it was quite the smack, but she was alright. The leaking oil, now mixed with fuel from a ruptured hose, ignited and a small fire began to surround the engine. With a little urgency, Winter undid her belts and climbed from the car. To keep it light for the sake of speed, there was hardly any fuel on board and Winter was not particularly worried about being burned. She hopped over the armco and looked across the track to the pit area. The Schnee Automotive garage was directly opposite. She threw her hands up in frustration. Even in testing the engines had not been reliable.

What she saw next shocked her. A track worker with a fire extinguisher rushed out across the circuit, heading toward her car to put out the small blaze. A pair of cars zipped past, luckily having slowed as they approached the scene of the accident, narrowly missing the man who was unsighted by the pit wall on the inside of The Kink. Somehow the worker arrived safely and began fighting the fire as if nothing had happened. His extinguisher made little impact on the fire.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Winter shouted.

"What?" The track worker replied.

"You just ran across the track!" Winter exclaimed. "You could have been hit! You were almost hit!"

"I was told to respond immediately if there's a fire." The worker explained. He clearly did not grasp just how lucky he was to be alive.

"Next time use your brain." Winter admonished. The man continued fighting the fire, trying to ignore her. As the extinguisher ran out the fire was still just as serious as it had been at the start. "And those fire extinguishers are entirely insufficient." Winter said. The worked did not seem to care. Winter cared. If someone needed a rescue during the race they would burn to death long before the pitiful extinguishers made a dent. She was not about to let that slide. She knew what it was like to be trapped in a burning car and never wanted anyone, not even her worst enemies, to experience that horror. Formula 1 needed to change and Winter was determined to make it happen.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The South Vacuo Circuit was a very fast track but had a little bit of everything. Most of it was composed of long straights and high speed corners but a tight, twisting section meant it was not all about speed. It ran over undulating terrain, making for an interesting experience. After a very competitive series of tests, the track would provide a real indication of who was fast and who was not. The previous year Pyrrha, in an aerodynamically superior car, had won from Yang who had traditionally dominated at the circuit. With a brand new car, Yang was eager to return to form.

The first practice did not last long for Yang. She only managed to complete a handful of laps before a fuel pump failure ended the session for her. Pyrrha had no such trouble and took the top spot. She was not as blindingly fast as in years past, but it was entirely possible that she was not showing her hand just yet. Weiss was in the neighborhood but she was showing everything she had. Winter was close as well, but one could never tell if she was giving it her all. Yang ended up fourth, determined to make up for lost time in the remaining practice sessions.

And make up for lost time she did. Yang hardly spent a moment of the second practice in the garage area. She only came in for adjustments and went right back out again. No one was particularly surprised when she set the fastest time by a wide margin. Weiss fell back to fourth with Pyrrha and Winter lurking in second and third. In the third and final practice, Yang returned to her normal program and set the fastest lap again. Winter took second this time with Weiss third and Pyrrha a disappointing fourth after she lost out on running time with a gearbox issue. Things were looking up for those seeking to dethrone Pyrrha, but practice did not really matter. In time trials everyone's true speed would be on display.

As the clock wound down to the end of qualifying, Yang was on top of the speed charts. Pyrrha was relatively close, along with Winter, Weiss, and surprisingly Sun. Sun and Neptune had had a dreadful season the year before, their first as owner-drivers. Apparently an offseason redesign of their car and their switch from Merlot to StormFlower engines was paying off. Their blue and yellow machines looked fairly similar to the Beacon cars in shape - if a bit more bulging at the sides - and apparently worked just as well aerodynamically. With only a few minutes remaining in the session, all the cars were back on track to go for one final fast lap. Yang would be the last to run.

Yang took it easy through Lion's Head, sacrificing the corner to get a good exit for the start of her hot lap. She rocketed onto the straight and headed for The Kink. Still flat-out she rounded The Kink and headed uphill and across the line to start her lap. Just after the line the straight crested the rise and Yang rushed downhill toward the first turn, Thorn. She braked as the track bottomed out and headed back uphill again, then slung her car around Thorn. She was back on the gas but only briefly, slowing again for the second corner, Grill. Out of Grill she accelerated, heading downhill toward the following left-hand kink, Yoke. She took Yoke flat-out then edged the car to the left side of the track to line up for the next corner, Sunset. She braked hard, the car squirming, and slid round the corner which leveled off from the downhill section before it. She floored it on exit and sped down the short straight toward the track's tightest section. Yang slowed for the acute left-hander that came next, Clubhouse. As she crossed the apex she hit the gas and the car began to oversteer. She kept her foot down and straightened it out. In seconds she arrived at The Esses, an extremely tight left-right combination. She intentionally caused the car to oversteer slightly, slinging it to the left to get a good exit from the second of the pair of corners. Her tires bit as she accelerated out of the corner but she was on the brakes again almost immediately for Lion's Head. The corner was long and uphill, and Yang had to be patient. She waited and waited, then hit the gas at just the right moment, shooting out of the corner and onto the straightaway that led to The Kink. She was flat-out through The Kink, climbed uphill and crossed the line.

Yang secured the pole position but it was very close. The other contenders had all improved in the waning moments of the session and Yang only edged out Winter by fractions of a second. That it was Winter she edged out was the biggest surprise. Apparently Schnee Automotive's testing pace had not been smoke and mirrors. If qualifying was any indication, they were back to form. Pyrrha was a close third, less than half a second behind Yang, and Weiss was just under half a second back of that. Sun, Ciel, and Coco came next. May Zedong was a surprising ninth and Neptune rounded out the top 10. It was going to be a close race, not just for the win but all the way through the field. Even the brand new Bronze Car Company Team had managed competitive midfield times. A lot could change over the course of a season, but it looked like it would be an exciting one.

* * *

Before the race there was one important piece of business to take care of. The Emerald Forest. As new head of the GPDA Pyrrha felt pressure to address the organization's highest profile issue as soon as possible. She Yang and Weiss put together a statement for the press and released it just before the race. The timing was intentional. There would be no time for questions, and their threat would sit in the open for hours.

 _In a contract signed by the Grand Prix Drivers' Association and the Emerald Forest Circuit Board of Directors in August of last year, it was agreed that certain safety upgrades would take place. These included, but are not limited to, a repaving of the track, an increase in the extent of crash barriers surrounding the circuit, and reconfiguring of certain sections to prevent cars getting airborne. In return, the GPDA agreed not to boycott the race. These changes have not been enacted, nor have any steps been taken in preparation of their enactment. Unless adequate progress is made by 1 June, the GPDA will officially boycott the Emerald Forest Grand Prix and seek a replacement circuit. An inspection on that date by the GPDA directors will determine if sufficient steps have been taken to ensure driver safety._

 _Pyrrha Nikos_

 _Weiss Schnee_

 _Yang Xiao-Long_

* * *

By the time the statement reached the press the cars were rolling onto the grid. There was a wait between when the cars arrived on the grid and the start of the parade lap, and drivers customarily got out of their cars to relax a bit. This time no one did. GPDA membership was not required to drive in F1, and three of the drivers were not members, but all supported boycotting the Emerald Forest. They were not going to create an opportunity speak to the media. Silence would hopefully unnerve the powers that be. None of the drivers would ever admit it, but they still feared the track and secretly hoped the changes would not be made. There was no realistic modification short of building a brand new circuit that would make the place truly acceptable. If the folks in charge at Emerald Forest broke the contract, the drivers could point to that, not fear, as the reason to not race there any longer.

After what seemed an interminable wait - sitting in their cars in the midday sun was not pleasant for the drivers - they rolled off for the parade lap. After rounding the circuit they lined up on the grid for the start. The starter raised his flag and the drivers revved their engines in anticipation. They flag dropped and they were off. Most of them. Coco stalled. Just behind her Arslan veered left to avoid the stationary car. Fox, behind Arslan, did the same. Mercury was unsighted by the cars in front of him but spotted Coco just in time, darting right. Fox went left, Mercury went right, and behind them Nolan Porfirio split the difference, slamming into the rear of Coco's machine. The impact pushed Coco's car to the right, turning it in front of Adam who had nowhere to go. The pair of cars interlocked and plowed into the pit wall. Nolan's car was kicked left and off the circuit, coming to rest against the armco in front of the grandstands. It was a miracle that none of the other cars were caught up.

The drivers in the crash scrambled out of their cars. It was the worst time to have an accident. On the start the cars carried all the fuel they would have for the entire race. They were more-or-less rolling bombs. Except for a crumpled nose and sheared right-front suspension, Nolan's car was intact, so there was little risk of fire. Coco's car, on the other hand, had been hit broadside, taking a shot directly to the fuel tanks. Coco was uninjured and quickly out of her car. After pounding on the steering wheel in a rage Adam jumped out as well. There was fuel leaking on the circuit, running downhill from Coco's car, under Adam's and beyond. It was probably the best place the accident could possibly have happened. Almost as soon as the drivers were clear of the cars, a half dozen track workers with fire extinguishers were on hand, dousing the wrecks. They had been stationed on pit road for the possibility of a pit fire, and thanks to Winter, had robust fire extinguishers designed to fight petroleum fires. When the leaders came around to start their second lap a cloud rose from the right side of the track. It was not smoke but a result of the heavy use of fire extinguishers. The fuel had been diluted sufficiently to prevent a fire, and with the cars off the racing surface the race was able to continue.

Yang led that first lap with Pyrrha second. Winter had gotten a poor start from the dirty side of the track and Pyrrha beat her into turn one on the first lap. With Weiss on Winter's tail the four ran line astern uphill, across the line, then back down again to begin their second lap. As they entered the braking zone for Thorn Pyrrha peeked to the right and Yang blocked. The pair were then forced to take a less-than-ideal line into the turn and had to slow more than usual. Winter shot up the left, pulling even with Pyrrha. Winter failed to complete the pass and found herself off the preferred line. She tried to pull in line behind Pyrrha but Weiss was already there, having taken her normal line into the corner. The sisters ran side-by-side into Grill but Weiss had the inside line. Winter yielded on corner entry and filed in behind her sister.

The front four remained in line for the next several laps. Things were a bit more interesting behind them. Sun ran fifth, where he had started, but Ciel had fallen behind May and Neptune. The group was well back of the leaders and having their own battle. With Ciel falling back and Coco stalling and holding up Neptune, Sun had initially had a decent gap. As soon as May passed Ciel she started reeling him in, lap after lap. Neptune soon passed Ciel as well and began to run faster times than his teammate. By lap 17 Sun was still fifth but May was right on his gearbox, clearly being held up. Neptune was just behind her. Sun was forced to start taking defensive lines, and that slowed all three. Ciel caught back up and the fight was really on.

On lap 22, May made her move. She waited until the last possible moment before shooting out to the right on entry to Thorn. Sun was taken by surprise and the pair ran into the corner side-by-side. Sun managed to just hold on beside May, and she was forced to take a tight and slower line on exit. They ran into Grill, still beside one another. May began to pull ahead, her rear wheel in line with Sun's front as they exited the corner. It was May's position. She drifted left on exit, using the entire track. Sun was still there, unwilling to concede the position. They touched wheels ever-so-slightly. May's car wiggled but she held on. The jolt knocked Sun into the grass. At that part of the track the grass on the left sloped steeply away and once he was off it was over. Sun slid through the grass, desperately struggling to get the car to turn back toward the track, but topography brought him inexorably toward the armco. With a quick bang-bang he stuck the barrier, left-rear then left-front, crushing his suspension and ending his race. May drove on but her bobble cost her a spot as Neptune swept past as they ran down to Sunset.

On lap 25 there was jostling at the front. Winter hung back through Lion's Head and got a good run on exit. She swept through The Kink right on Weiss' gearbox, the cars almost touching. As they climbed the hill Winter moved right and Weiss matched her. Winter shot back to the left and got beside Weiss. As they ran down the other side of the hill Winter edged ahead. On the inside line Weiss was forced to slow more for the corner, and Winter swept around to take the third spot.

The sisterly battle had opened a small gap to Yang and Pyrrha ahead. Pyrrha had previously limited her overtaking attempts for fear that a failed move would cost her one or two spots. Now was her chance. Clubhouse was not a traditional passing spot, but Pyrrha went for it. She dove left, much to Yang's surprise, and shot ahead as the pair entered the corner. Pyrrha had misjudged however, and slid wide on exit, allowing Yang to crossover and retake the lead. It also brought Winter and Weiss right back to her. Another brave move like that was, at least for the time being, no longer an option.

May was not done. She was all over the back of Neptune's car as Ciel steadily fell back from the pair. Neptune was subtler than Sun. Instead of throwing a full block every time May made a move, he would feint enough to get her to back off. That allowed him to go faster than Sun had. If May was going to get by she would have to ignore Neptune's defenses and just go for it. On lap 53 she saw her opportunity. Neptune got a less-than-stellar launch out of Lion's Head. May followed him through The Kink and made the slightest of moves to the right. Neptune made a similarly slight move to dissuade her, but May had recognized his pattern. She swung her car all the way to the right-hand edge of the track, kicking up dirt and debris as she drove on a part of the pavement that was not normally touched. Neptune belatedly realized what May was doing and threw on a full block. The timing was perfect, for May. The pit road ended and a whole new lane of asphalt opened up with its exit road. She just kept going right until she was right on the line. Neptune was unwilling to block so far and pulled back over to the left, hoping to get a better line into Thorn. He did, but it was not enough. May completed her pass and immediately began to pull away.

At the front it came down to the 79th and final lap. With four cars in so close a proximity, all had been reluctant to make a move except for Weiss who had nothing to lose in fourth. Unfortunately, she was the slowest of the quartet and was little more than a distraction. The cars flashed under the white flag, crested the hill and headed for Thorn. Pyrrha pulled right and Yang blocked. Pyrrha took a page from May's book and went much farther than Yang anticipated, and farther than Yang was willing to go. With her focus on Pyrrha, Yang forgot about Winter. She jumped to the left and the cars approached the corner three-wide. Yang knew she was beat. She backed out of the throttle early, Pyrrha and Winter shooting ahead. Pyrrha took the inside line, but apparently had not noticed Winter. She swung wide on exit, only spotting Winter at the last possible second. Pyrrha jerked the wheel right and got out of the throttle to avoid contact as Winter drove off into the grass to do the same. Yang shot up the middle and retook the lead as Pyrrha got back on the gas just in time to keep Weiss at bay. Winter did some off-roading but rejoined in fourth, making it back before the grass began to slope hopelessly away from the racing circuit.

Yang now had a big lead and would surely win, but the fight for the podium positions was not over. Pyrrha again tried an unconventional move. She followed Weiss through Grill, Sunrise and Clubhouse. Then, as they braked for The Esses, Pyrrha shot left. Pyrrha was going too fast to keep her car on the preferred line so Weiss let her go. As had happened when trying to pass Yang, Pyrrha slid wide, ending up on the right side of the circuit. Weiss crossed over to the left, but this was a different part of the track. The right was now the preferred line as the track suddenly snaked back. Pyrrha was able to cut Weiss off and hold the position. They ran around Lion's Head and onto the straight. Weiss got in Pyrrha's draft and stepped out to the right as they rounded The Kink, but it was too little, too late. Pyrrha took second with Weiss right beside in third. Winter finished a few seconds later in fourth and the hard-charging May took fifth. Neptune came home a distant sixth to take the final point. Ciel, Arslan, Fox and Dew Gayl rounded out the top 10.

Yang was the winner and got to celebrate atop the podium with Pyrrha and Weiss, but May was the talk of the race. She had finished fifth while her teammate had managed only sixteenth in qualifying before crashing out in the melee at the start. Either Nolan was out of his depth and the car was good, or the car was bad and May was excellent. Only time would tell.

The next race was over a month later in Mistral. Gone was the old Mistral Circuit, the first casualty of Winter's safety crusade. The drivers were thankful. Instead of a race on public roads through the countryside, they would be racing at a state-of-the-art, purpose-built circuit. It would be the first time Formula 1 would visit the Sanctum Circuit and the drivers were genuinely looking forward to it.

* * *

Points after one race:

1st - Yang Xiao-Long - 9

2nd - Pyrrha Nikos - 6

3rd - Weiss Schnee - 4

4th - Winter Schnee - 3

5th - May Zedong - 2

6th - Neptune Vasilias - 1

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- South Vacuo is still Kyalami.

\- The Winter incident references the fatal accident of Tom Pryce. Driver Renzo Zorzi had a fuel system issue that caused a fire in his engine. He pulled off to the left of the frontstretch. When a pair of track workers rushed across to help, one carrying a 50 pound fire extinguisher, only one made it, and it was not the one with the extinguisher. Pryce struck the man and the extinguisher struck his head, killing him instantly. The worker was basically cut in half and was only identified by process of elimination.

\- The SeaMonkeys F1 car is based on the BRM P160.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- A boycott of the Nurburgring took place in 1970. The German Grand Prix was held at Hockenheim while the track was modified to improve safety.

\- A start accident like Coco's would likely lead to a red flag and restart.

\- 1971 was the year the Belgian Grand Prix at spa was boycotted, not the previous year. Also, the Spanish Grand Prix was the second race. With no Belgian Grand Prix and only very few locations in the world of RWBY, I decided to make the Spanish Grand Prix the Mistral Grand Prix for the purposes of this story.


	3. Mistral GP

**Author's Note:** Please read the inspirations/inaccuracies section. I've taken some liberties with history here.

* * *

Chapter 3

 _Two Years Ago_

The Mistral Circuit had always been fearsome. A long, fast public road circuit could never be anything else. Perhaps the only track driver feared more was the Emerald Forest, but the reasons were much the same. It was too fast and there was not enough in terms of safety features. This year it was somehow made even faster and more dangerous. The cars had wings.

It was the dawn of a new era. The season saw the first widespread use of aerodynamic wings to press the cars down onto the track in order to get them round the corners faster. There had been some experiments the year before, but use had been sporadic and unspectacular. Now teams were getting to grips with the new technology. It still looked a bit amateurish, just airfoils on thin uprights bolted to cars that had not changed substantially in almost a decade. Even so, the effect was astounding. It was impossible to be competitive without good aero, even at a power track like Mistral.

The first team to get a good handle on using wings was Team Juniper. Pyrrha had already won two of the first three races and finished second to Yang at South Vacuo in the other. Their wings were more robust and better integrated into the car as a whole than the others, much less bolt-ons than integral members. Mistral was Pyrrha's home race and no one was terribly surprised when she won the pole. When the race started it was clear only a mechanical failure would stop her as she effortlessly drove away from the field, on her way to an easy win.

There was still plenty of running, and no one was going to give up just because Pyrrha was running away with it. The Cardinal Motors pair of Cardin Winchester and Sky Lark ran in eighth and ninth, one of their better team performances. It owed a lot to their new aerodynamic setup. They were running larger wings than most, though they were still mounted to the same spindly brackets. Aero was the key to their speed and would also be their undoing. About a quarter of the way around the circuit the pair entered a right-hand corner normally taken flat-out. As he turned in, the rear wing on Sky's car suddenly collapsed, the force of the air too much of a strain for the narrow uprights. The sudden change in pressure caused snap-oversteer to the right. Sky corrected left, but with his front wing still holding, the wheels bit and the car shot off the track. His vehicle skipped across a drainage ditch, plowed through a wire fence and slammed into an embankment.

When track workers arrived over fifteen minutes later, they found there was nothing for them to do. A local on whose property the crash had taken place had already placed a tarp over car and driver out of respect. Even had the safety workers arrived in a reasonable amount of time, it would have been pointless. The wire fence had shredded the car and cut deep gashes into the driver, including one to the neck that nearly decapitated him.

It was the final straw. Winter had seen enough as far as the Mistral Circuit was concerned and so had the other drivers. They announced they would not return the following year. Negotiations began between the driver and the track's owners but came to nothing as it was apparent that the owners did not have any interest in making serious changes to the circuit. The following year there would be no Mistral Grand Prix and after that it would take place on a new, closed course.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The race in Mistral at the newly constructed Sanctum Circuit came over a month after South Vacuo, but that did not mean the drivers were idle. Yang and Weiss had business to take care of in Vacuo. For the first time they would be entering the Vacuo 500, an oval race that had once been part of the world championship. Beacon Motorworks' StormFlower engines were a mainstay of the Champ Car Series that included the 500. This year Ruby had designed and built a chassis in line with Champ Car regulations and Beacon GP would enter three cars of its own in the race.

Yang and Weiss may have been Formula 1 Champions, but in the Vacuo 500 they were rookies. No matter how accomplished the driver, everyone had to complete a rookie test before being allowed to race in the 500. It was a track unlike any other, 2.5 miles long with four gently banked turns that formed a rectangle. Average lap speed approached 180 mph. Two weeks before the Mistral GP, Yang, Weiss, Nolan and Bolin Hori traveled to the Vacuo Motor Speedway to complete their rookie test. They all passed. Curiously, so did Ruby.

After South Vacuo Ruby had gone to the speedway to start testing her car. She was able to find qualified drivers to pilot it but found their feedback insufficient. Yang and Weiss were busy with their F1 commitments and would be throughout much of the time prior to the race. Over the past few years Ruby had gotten into racing on a small scale, running a few F3 and F2 events in cars of her own construction. Her friends just made driving look so fun. She was afraid but decided to give it a shot anyway. She was not terrible and a few people even told her she might have a future behind the wheel. Unable to find a suitable test driver for her Champ Car, she decided to get qualified to do it herself. She had no intention of running the 500 or any other Champ Car races, just of making sure her car was ready for Yang and Weiss when they arrived. When the F1 drivers headed home, Ruby stayed behind to keep testing.

Between the Mistral GP and Vale GP the drivers would return to Vacuo for official practice and time trials. Then the week after the Vale GP was the 500. Other F1 drivers had run the race. Winter had won it in her only attempt seven years before, and Pyrrha in hers two years previous. This year, many more F1 drivers than normal were giving it a shot though. The rookies were joined by May who had started her career in Champ Car before switching to F1, Arslan who had failed to qualify the year before, and Pyrrha who would drive the third Beacon GP entry.

* * *

The 500 was something to look forward to, but there was still the matter of the Mistral GP. The Sanctum Circuit was far to the southeast of the city of Mistral, located on a desert plateau. It was not in a heavily populated area but infrastructure from the Mistral Trade Route made access easy. The circuit was brand new and many of the corners were named for active drivers, a rarity. With Pyrrha as two-time defending champion and with no race in the kingdom the previous year, a large crowd was expected. Prior to their arrival for the race, the only driver to have even seen the circuit first-hand was Pyrrha. She had run a few laps in a sports car for promotional purposes. Naturally the competition was furious. She surely did not need the extra track time, no matter what kind of car she drove or how casual the drive.

No one was surprised when Pyrrha swept all three practice sessions. It was her sort of track: twisting, undulating, narrow and technical. The sandy tarmac was hard on tires, and most of the teams at least made preparations for a rare mid-race pit stop that they hoped they would not need. They also hoped tire wear might take away Pyrrha's advantage. That was about the only hope they had of winning, with the obvious exception of mechanical issues.

The battle for the pole position was more of a rout. Pyrrha set what looked to be an unassailable time early on. She pulled into the garage and waited, planning to go back out at the very end, just in case. In the closing moments, Yang was second, followed by Winter and Weiss. Neptune, Sun, Coco, Fox and May were not terribly far behind. An increasingly frustrated Ciel was a distant tenth. As usual, the top drivers headed out at the end of the session for one last shot at the top spot.

Pyrrha was first to run with Yang only a little behind her. Yang crawled through the first apex of the corner known as Forever Fall, opening a gap between herself and Pyrrha so she would have a clear track. As she hit the second apex she accelerated, clipped the third and final apex perfectly and launched onto the steeply downhill straightaway that followed. After a short blast downhill Yang rounded the flat-out right-hand corner Tunnel, sliding to the very edge of the track as she raced onto the pit straight. As she approached the line to start her lap she edged over to the right. Just before the first real corner, the track curved slightly to the left. Yang swept across the track all the way to the left edge and braked hard for the first turn, Nikos. It was a tight right-hand hairpin and on exit Yang had to be careful not to spin the wheels. She managed the power and flew up the following short straight, then slid through the flat-out right called Schnee. Almost immediately she was hard on the brakes, nearly locking up the front wheels on entry to the tightening, double-apex, left-hand hairpin, Vytal. After an incredibly short straight the track wound back to the right in a banked hairpin called Xiao-Long. She accelerated out of the hairpin as the track gradually headed uphill, then she slung her car through the flat-out left-hand corner called Pegasus and onto the steeply uphill straight beyond.

The car's engine screamed as is raced up the track's second longest straight. The terrain leveled out and Yang was on the brakes for the tightening right-hander called Atlas. After that was another short straight to the long, sweeping right-hand Port. The track dropped steeply downhill and Yang blasted through the flat-out left-hander called Amity before braking hard for the left-hand hairpin called Juniper. From there the track climbed steeply uphill again. As Yang crested the hill she braked for Forever Fall, coasting through the first two tightening apexes before mashing the throttle as she clipped the third. Yang rocketed downhill, sure she was on a fast lap. She entered the flat-out Tunnel and the car oversteered unexpectedly. Yang straightened the wheel slightly and arrested the slide, but she ran out of track. Her left side wheels edged onto the dirt and lost all grip. The car slid completely off the track and smacked the armco, shearing the left side wheels off as the car ground to a halt against the barrier.

The crowd, loudly cheering moments before as Pyrrha passed, now fell silent. Safety workers rushed to Yang's car as the last few runners flashed past. As the last car crossed the line the session was red flagged. To everyone's relief Yang began moving, undoing her belts. She started to get out but fell back in, grabbing her side in pain. A pair of workers, one on either side of the car, grabbed her under the arms and helped her up. She stood in the seat for a moment before gingerly hopping out, then took off her helmet. The track workers wanted to help her walk but she pushed them away and waved to a crowd with a smile.. Wild cheering erupted. Once it was safe Yang walked back across the track with a noticeable limp, hiding her grimace from the fans behind her.

* * *

Yang walked back to the Beacon GP garage and collapsed in a chair. "Yang, are you okay?!" Blake exclaimed, rushing to her side.

"I'm pretty sure I broke a rib or two." Yang groaned. "But I'll be fine."

"You can't race tomorrow." Blake said.

"I'm racing." Yang declared. "I don't care if all my ribs are broken. If I can get into the car I'm racing."

"What if you need to get out in a hurry?" Blake asked.

"I'll manage." Yang replied.

"I want you to get an x-ray." Ozpin said. He had been watching the exchange. "If you have a few cracked ribs, fine, but you need to make sure it's not anything worse."

"They won't let me race with cracked ribs." Yang protested. "There's no way."

"There's a way." Ozpin said with a knowing smile. "Blake, run down to the Schnee Automotive garage. Tell Winter to bring her doctor here."

Blake nodded and rushed off. "I picked a hell of a week to wreck a car." Yang sighed. "There's no way that thing's getting fixed and preparing the backup is going to be twice as hard without Ruby's help."

"It happens." Ozpin said. "I'm just glad you're alright."

"You always say that." Yang said.

"If you wrecked more cars I'd be less understanding." Ozpin admitted. "We all make mistakes."

"This is probably the hardest mistake I've ever made." Yang groaned.

"That did look like quite a hit." Ozpin said.

Blake returned with Winter and an older man in tow. "Is Yang alright?" Winter asked.

"I'm fine." Yang said with a wave. "I just busted my ribs."

"Then why do you need to see my personal physician?" Winter asked. Since her near fatal crash at Menagerie Winter always brought a personal doctor to the track to make sure she received proper care.

"She's going to race tomorrow." Ozpin said. "I need someone who'll take an x-ray and not divulge the results, lest the organizers decide she's not fit to race."

"What if I decide she's not fit to race?" The doctor asked.

"Doctor-patient confidentiality requires you share that opinion with her alone." Ozpin said.

"Alright, let's get you to the hospital." The doctor said. Winter and Blake helped Yang out of her chair and she left with the doctor.

* * *

Yang had indeed cracked a few ribs, but there was no further damage beyond some bruising. Winter's doctor recommended against her racing, but agreed that she was technically fit enough if she really wanted to. As long as she did not suffer any other hard impacts she should be fine. Yang had problems beyond the pain. The track had been fast at the end of the session. Yang had been second but by the end she was jumped by Weiss, Winter, Neptune and Sun. It had been a long time since she had last started so far down the grid. There was positive news before the race. A few minutes before the cars rolled out the folks in charge at Emerald Forest agreed to the GPDA's demands. Only time would tell if they would follow through on their promise, but it seemed like a big win for the new-look GPDA.

The cars rounded the circuit on their parade lap and took their spots on the grid. The starter raised his flag. After what seemed like a long wait, the flag dropped and the cars were off. This time there was no stalling on the grid. Pyrrha got a fantastic start and got to the first turn well ahead of the pack. Weiss got a poor start and Winter beat her into second. Yang also had a poor start. She had hoped to gain a few positions on the run to the first corner but lost out to Coco. Atlas and Nikos were the only realistic passing zones, so Yang had to get in line and bide her time. Her time came sooner than expected. On the second apex of Vytal Neptune cut across in front of Sun. Sun braked hard to avoid contact and slid up the track. Coco was caught out and had to slow as well, allowing Yang to slide past and get alongside Sun. She was unable to complete the pass and fell in behind Sun through Xiao-Long but at least she was back to her starting spot.

Pyrrha drove away from the rest of the field. The real battle was for second between the Schnee sisters. Winter was faster on the straights but Weiss had the measure of her in the corners. On lap 37 they crested the hill before Atlas nose-to-tail. Winter braked and Weiss dove to the right. It was too late to block and Weiss easily completed the pass. She pulled away through the following series of corners, but Winter caught back up as they flew down the main straight. Weiss blocked right and Winter attempted to take the long way around in the first turn. It did not work and Weiss held second. As the laps wore on she slowly pulled away but could not come close to matching Pyrrha's pace.

Attrition helped Yang. Neptune's race ended early when his gearbox failed, promoting Yang to fifth. May made Yang's race more difficult. Yang was stuck behind Sun and found passing him almost impossible. On lap 47 May had gotten past Fox who was suffering from a failing engine and on lap 62 passed Coco as well. By lap 65 she was right on the back of Yang. For the next few laps May continuously probed for an opportunity to pass, but it was futile. Even with Sun holding her up Yang was just a little too fast. On lap 73, Pyrrha arrived to put the trio a lap behind. It was tremendously disheartening.

On lap 81 of 90, Yang saw her opening. Sun got a poor run through Pegasus and Yang got alongside as they ran up the hill toward Atlas. Yang had the preferred line on the right but Sun held on. He should have conceded the position because Yang completed the pass anyway and May was able to slip to his inside for Port, completing the pass on the run down to Juniper. Yang and May were now free to battle for the fourth spot. Yang had expected to pull away once clear of Sun but May stuck with her. All the way to the flag May was there, taking any realistic shot at a pass. Yang managed to keep her at bay, but it was clear now that May was an exceptional talent.

The predicted tire issues never materialized and by the time Pyrrha took the checkered flag she had lapped the field. The crowd could not have been happier. Weiss and Winter rounded out the podium, and there may never have been a pair of drivers so demoralized by a podium finish. It suddenly looked as if Pyrrha was going to pick up where she had left off the previous season. Yang finished fourth with May, Sun, Coco, Ceil, Mercury and Arslan rounding out the top 10.

For some of the drivers, it was time for a vacation. For others it was time to go to Vacuo to see if they could qualify for the 500. Barring Pyrrha herself, everyone hoped that when the circuit got to Vale things would be a bit more competitive.

* * *

Standings after two races:

1st - Pyrrha Nikos - 15

2nd - Yang Xiao-Long - 12

3rd - Weiss Schnee - 10

4th - Winter Schnee - 7

5th - May Zedong - 4

6th - Neptune Vasilias - 1

6th - Sun Wukong - 1

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The Mistral Circuit is based on Spa in Belgium.

\- Sky's death is based on the fatal crash of Chris Bristow. He went off track at Spa in 1960 and was decapitated by a barbed wire fence.

\- The Sanctum Circuit is based on Jarama in Spain.

\- The Vacuo 500 is the Indianapolis 500.

\- Yang's injuries are not based on Fernando Alonso's. This chapter was written before he even had his crash.

\- Jackie Stewart brought a personal physician to races to ensure he received proper medical care in case of an accident.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- The boycott of Spa occurred in 1971 rather than 1970.

\- It would be highly unlikely that the designer of a car would actually personally test it.

\- With a limited number of locations in RWBY and no Belgian GP in 1971, I decided to make the Spanish GP the Mistral GP. I also replaced Montjuic with Jarama because I am much more familiar with the latter.


	4. Time Trials

Chapter 4

 _Seven Years Ago_

The Vacuo 500 was something else. The car Winter was driving was not all that different from her F1 car, just a few modifications to make it more easily turn left and a larger engine, but the experience was not at all the same. She adjusted to driving the car with no issues, but things happened so fast. She had world-class reflexes but even she was surprised by just how quickly things could and did go wrong.

Winter had been given one piece of advice by another F1 driver who had raced the 500: "If you start to spin, don't try to save it. You'll just drive straight into the wall. It's better to lock it down and spin out." She took it to heart. In practice she was just putting in laps, and fast ones at that, when the rear end of her car stepped out in the middle of turn 2. In her F1 car she would turn into the spin, but the warning she had received stuck with her. Maybe it was the fear in the driver's eyes when he said it. She kept the wheel turned just as she would if the car was not about to spin, let off the gas and locked the brakes just as it got completely sideways at the exit of the corner. The car looped around and slid across the track and into the grass. She stalled it and needed a push to get started again, but there was no damage.

Winter was a little angry afterwards. She knew she could have saved it if she had tried. A lazy spin like that was just embarrassing for an F1 champion like herself. In the end it did not really matter. Come Pole Day she set the fastest time. It was strange to her that qualifying was made up of single car runs that took a four lap average, but it was not much of an issue. At least she did not have to deal with traffic. She was not the only F1 driver in the race. Yatsuhashi Daichi qualified fifth in what was also his first attempt. He had had none of the practice drama but was not as quick.

The race itself was an overwhelming spectacle. It started with pre-race ceremonies that put anything in F1 to shame. Then there was the crowd! Sitting on both sides of the front straight, packed shoulder-to-shoulder, it was the largest gathering of people she had ever seen. It was easily three or four times bigger than the largest F1 crowds. And they were loud. Even during the race she could hear their cheers over the roar of 33 engines. The rolling start was another unique experience, the first of Winter's career, and she was nervous about the fact that they cars lined up three abreast. The track was wide, but not that wide.

Winter was happy when she got away clean at the green flag. A few other cars stayed with her for a few laps but she eventually pulled away, building up a comfortable lead. Pit stops were another new experience. They were very rare in F1 and she had only done a few in her attempts at the Vytal 24 hours. The stops were so quick. In sports cars a tire and fuel stop could easily take over a minute, sometimes two. In F1 a minute was about the norm. Her crew was staffed by a stock car team from the country and they could change all four tires and fuel her car in under thirty seconds! Watching them work was like watching a ballet, with every movement carefully choreographed for maximum speed.

About halfway through the 200 lap race Winter was coming up to lap Yatsuhashi. He was running fourth at the time. Winter tucked in behind him as they ran down the back straight but was unable to get a good enough run into the third turn to pass him. She tucked in behind him and followed. At corner exit Yatsuhashi's car started to wiggle. He instinctively tried to save it and cut the steering wheel back to the right. The front wheels suddenly bit and the car slammed into the outside wall, flattening the right side. The wrecked car skidded along and burst into flames before coming to rest against the barrier in the fourth turn.

Winter had missed the accident - just - and raced back to the line where the yellow flag was displayed. Full-course yellows were another novelty. In F1 if there was a crash the part of the track where it had occurred would be yellow flagged and passing there forbidden. In the 500, as in all Champ Car oval races, a yellow applied to the entire track. Drivers had to slow down and passing was not allowed. The slow lap gave Winter time to think about Yatsuhashi's crash and worry. It was a nasty hit. Winter was suddenly grateful for her practice spin and the advice she had received. Given the part of the corner where she had lost control, her crash would likely have been even worse.

Winter made it back around to turn four and the scene of Yatsuhashi's crumpled car. To her relief he was not inside. He was standing nearby, looking a bit dazed, as track workers were just putting out the fire. Vacuo Motor Speedway was a deadly track, the deadliest statistically, but Yatsuhashi had escaped with a few bruises. A few laps later the track was clear and the race went back to green flag conditions. Winter again sprinted away from the field, on her way to an easy win.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Having left immediately after the Mistral GP, the F1 drivers participating in the Vacuo 500 were at the track by Monday morning to start practicing. "You've run this race before, any tips you can give us?" Yang asked of Pyrrha.

"I can't really tell you anything Winter hasn't already." Pyrrha shrugged. "Everything happens so fast. It's not something I can really describe. You just have to experience it. Just never turn right."

"Never turn right on a track with all left turns." Weiss said with a hefty helping of sarcasm. "Thanks champ."

"You know what I mean." Pyrrha said.

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed as she entered the garage. She rushed over and hugged her sister. "Did you miss me?"

"Nope." Yang groaned at the impact, her ribs still in terrible pain. "The team sure did though."

"I hear you obliterated one of my cars." Ruby said.

"And my ribs." Yang said.

"Oh, sorry." Ruby said sheepishly as she backed away. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Yang assured her. "I've had worse." Yang was not sure she had.

"So what do you guys think of Crescent Rose V?" Ruby asked. She gestured toward the trio of cars lined up before them. Yang and Weiss had silver machines - 71 and 72 - while Pyrrha had a blue car numbered 70. Beacon Motorworks and StormFlower logos were emblazoned on the cars, along with driver names and national flags. They looked very different compared to Ruby's F1 cars. The cockpit area was still mostly the same, but the front tapered to a square wedge with a small cooling intake. Aerodynamic attachments were much more restricted by the regulations, so there were no big wings at the front, just tiny attachments that flanked the nose. The rear wing was integrated into the bodywork and wrapped around the engine. It looked like more of a ramp than a wing, with a curved lip at the back. The StormFlower engine was bolted to the back of the cockpit but it too was different. A StormFlower was Beacon GP's customer engine, fundamentally similar to the Gambol Shroud - a 3.0 Liter V8 - but slightly less powerful and more robust. It was popular in endurance racing because of its reliability, but a few F1 teams like SeaMonkeys used it. It's robustness also allowed it to be modified for use in Champ Car. It could handle the extra power provided by the attached turbo, something that would break most engines. With the addition of the turbo it was significantly more powerful than the Gambol Shroud or even the 5.0 Liter V8 the Nevermore team had used at the Vytal 24 in years past.

"They certainly look fast." Pyrrha said. "How do they handle?"

"They were a little twitchy at first." Ruby admitted. "I had a spin...or three while I was testing them. But I think I've got the kinks worked out."

"Are they fast?" Weiss asked.

"It's the fastest thing I've ever driven." Ruby said.

"That's not saying much." Weiss pointed out.

"The times looked competitive." Ruby said. "We won't really know for sure until Pole Day."

* * *

The only notable event during the week of practice was a harrowing incident involving Pyrrha. During a practice qualifying run she headed through turn 4 only to drive into a streak of oil left by one of the other cars. Before she could even react the car swapped ends and smacked the outside wall with its left side just at corner exit. It ground to a halt in the middle of the circuit. Another driver not far behind hit the same oil and managed to keep his car off the wall but spun and clipped Pyrrha's stopped car. Pyrrha's car was flung back toward the outside wall - stopping just short of it - and the other car continued its slide until it struck the inside wall just before the pit entrance. Both drivers were a little shaken up but otherwise alright. One of Beacon GP's two backup cars was rolled out and Pyrrha would be ready for qualifying.

Pole Day soon arrived. The time for practice was over. Now the drivers and teams would show their true speed. The order was selected by random draw. Yang would run early in the day, Weiss and Pyrrha later on. With 51 cars attempting to make the field of 33 it would be a long and important day. Drivers not fast enough on Pole Day could make runs on the three remaining days of qualifying, but they would have to start behind those using Pole Day times, regardless of their speed. The times set on later days would only be compared to earlier days if they were fast enough to knock someone out of the field of 33. It was confusing, but it was tradition.

Yang was up, the ninth car to roll. She had had a rather innocuous spin off of turn 2 in practice but was one of the faster runners. Blake started her car and Yang rumbled out of the pits and onto the access road on the inside apron of turn 1. She gradually accelerated around the inside of turn 2 and out onto the backstretch. On cold tires she had to be careful in those first few corners, and she took it easy, slowing much more than normal. She rounded turns three and four and rocketed down the frontstretch. Her first full lap was still considered a warm-up lap, so she again took it easy in turns 1 and 2 before blasting down the backstretch again. Since she was coming to the green, there could be no more taking it easy. She rounded turn 3 as fast as she dared, quickly traversed the short North Chute and was into turn 4. She blasted out onto the straight, flew past the grandstands and crossed the yard of bricks at the line, the only remaining remnant of the track's original surface.

Yang was going faster than she had in practice. She could feel the g-forces and really feel it in her cracked ribs. She ignored the pain and pressed on. After turn 1, the South Chute and turn 2, she had a little time to breathe down the backstretch. Then it was time for turn 3, the North Chute and turn 4 again. The tires screamed as she whipped round the corners and out onto the frontstretch to complete her first lap. Her second lap felt even faster, and more painful. In practice her ribs had not really bothered her but she had not given it everything then. By her third lap she was in agony but determined to complete her run. Finally she rounded turn 4 and raced to the line to complete her qualifying run.

Yang drove her car into the garage area. She flipped the switch to turn off the engine and just sat there. "Was it fast?" She asked, flipping up the visor on her helmet.

"Fastest so far!" Ruby exclaimed. "How did it feel?"

"I feel like someone hit me with a bat." Yang groaned.

"Sorry to hear that...but...uh...I meant the car." Ruby said.

"Oh, it was perfect." Yang sighed. She took of her helmet and balaclava, placing them on top of the car just in front of the cockpit. "I don't think I'll be getting out on my own though. I really hope I can heal up before the 500 because otherwise I don't think I'll be able to take it."

Ruby stepped up and helped Yang out of the car. Yang immediately plopped down in a nearby chair. "I don't think you'll need to do another qualifying run." Ruby said. "That should be more than fast enough to make the race."

"I hope so, because if it's not, you're going to have to do it." Yang said. She was only half-joking.

* * *

Weiss' turn came as the 33rd car to attempt to qualify. Yang was still third in the order behind May and full-time Champ Car driver Nadir Shiko, and she was effectively locked into the race. Weiss was determined to outrun her teammate. Her warm-up laps felt good and she decided to take the green. Her first lap was almost identical to Yang's and even after her second they were virtually even. Weiss' third lap was slightly quicker and she was on pace to beat both Yang and Nadir, and very close to May. Unfortunately her fourth lap was only average. She ended up slotting into second, fractions of a second ahead of Nadir. She was disappointed to have missed out on the pole, but very happy to be ahead of Yang.

Weiss drove back to the garage expecting to treat Yang to some good-natured gloating, but Yang was not present. "Where'd Yang go?" She asked.

"She went back to her hotel." Ruby replied. "Her ribs were really hurting and she wanted to rest."

"Still?" Weiss asked. She had never really known the full extent of Yang's injuries. "Is she going to be alright?"

"I hope so." Ruby said. The reply did not fill Weiss with confidence. "The 500 is only 2 weeks away. I don't know how she's going to do it. I don't know how she ran Mistral for that matter."

"I'm sure she'll be fine by then." Weiss said. It was as much a wish as a prediction. Yang and Weiss were rivals, but they were also teammates and friends. A race just was not as fun without the opportunity to beat the other.

* * *

Bolin Hori was a Vacuo 500 rookie. He had run a few years in F1 and the Nevermore team was trusting him and his Auburn Racing Team teammate Arslan with the team's two green cars. The Nevermore chassis was quick but twitchy and Bolin was not taking to it well. He had been fast in practice but involved in a number of spins and near misses, somehow not hitting anything. Come his qualifying run, the 41st of the session, he was determined to put his car at the front. His warm-up laps were smooth and his first lap was fast, but things quickly unraveled on his second lap. He entered turn 3 and the car almost immediately began to oversteer. He turned his steering wheel right, much too far right. The front wheels gripped and the car turned head-on toward the wall. Hitting the wall at around 170 mph the car disintegrated and burst into flames, sending debris - and Bolin, still strapped into his seat and shrouded in shredded metal - flying. The debris field covered most of the North Chute. The largest piece of debris - the engine with one wheel attached - landed at the entrance to turn 4. What little remained of the cockpit - more or less just scraps of metal, the driver and the left-front suspension - slid to a stop just short of it.

Track workers and an ambulance rushed to the scene. It was hopeless. The impact had shattered just about every bone in Bolin's body. There was a gaping wound in his side that would also have been enough to kill him on its own. In addition, the force of the crash had been enough to pull his helmet off, and the top of his head had been sliced away by the catch fence, leaving blood and brains smeared across the track. The mangled corpse was covered with a sheet and loaded into the ambulance. The track workers cleaned up as best they could, fixed the damaged catch fence, and Pole Day went on.

* * *

Pyrrha was had drawn spot 47. With the delay caused by Bolin's fatal crash, it was almost evening by the time she was set to run. Deaths always hit the drivers hard - reminders of their own mortality were difficult to face - but at least in this case it had been driver error. They could all tell themselves that they would never make the same mistake. So Ren started Pyrrha's engine and she went out for her run as if nothing had happened. It was the only way to do things. She was comfortable with her warm-up laps and took the green flag. Lap 1 was fast, the fastest yet. Lap 2 was even faster. Her third lap did not match her pace but she was still ahead. Her final lap certainly felt fast. She could hear over the PA as the track announcer shouted "New track record!"

The last four cars made their runs but none could match Pyrrha's speed. Pyrrha had won the Pole. Along with Ozpin, Weiss, Blake, Ren, Nora and Ruby she went to the winner's circle to be awarded her trophy. It was a prestigious achievement, and one new for Pyrrha. She had only qualified fifth in her previous 500 attempt, on her way to winning the race. The team went out to celebrate but Yang was notably absent. She was in too much pain. Pyrrha and Weiss stuck around to practice on Monday and Tuesday before heading to Vale, but Yang left immediately. Ruby could practice the car for her and rest was going to be the best medicine. She only hoped she would be healthy enough to race in two weeks' time.

* * *

 **Inspirations**

 **-** In 1965 Jim Clark won the Indianapolis 500 using the Wood Brothers NASCAR pit crew.

\- The Crescent Rose V is based on the winning car of the 1971 Indianapolis 500, driven by Al Unser Sr. and fielded by Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing.

\- The Gambol Shroud / StormFlower engine is based on the Cosworth DFV.

\- Bolin's crash is based on the 1982 fatal crash of Gordon Smiley. I have not exaggerated it.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Women were not allowed on track, or in the garage or pits for that matter, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway until the 70's.

\- Modified Cosworth DFV engines with turbos were used at Indianapolis, but not until years later.

\- The fatal crash may have taken place in a different year, but like I said, I have not exaggerated it.


	5. Vale GP

**Author's Note:** I'm leaving for a vacation on Wednesday. I still plan to post Friday's chapter as normal, but it might be late or I may be unable to if my internet access is iffy. I will also probably be unable to respond to comments as quickly as usual. Monday's chapter may also be affected.

* * *

Chapter 5

 _One Year Ago_

The Vale Grand Prix had not been kind to Yang. Her first attempt had ended in the first corner of the first lap and the others had not been much better. Her second run ended with a transmission problem. Her third was cut short when she clipped a barrier while avoiding a lapped car while she was leading. Her fourth saw an engine failure in qualifying and a miserable race in which she struggled her way to tenth from last on the grid. It was still the only major Grand Prix achievement she lacked. Her father had won there, twice, and she was always fast. Something just always seemed to go wrong.

This time would be different. At least she hoped it would. Her fifth Vale GP got off to a fantastic start. Pyrrha had dominated the previous race and beaten Yang in a close South Vacuo GP, but she had mechanical trouble in qualifying that left her starting sixth. Yang took the top spot alongside Weiss and in front of Winter. On the morning of the race it started to rain and did not stop. Yang loved the rain. No one could match her speed in the wet and only Pyrrha was even close. With her starting well back she should have no trouble. As the race wore on the news only got better. Weiss' motor failed. Winter crashed. Preposterously Sun was second with Pyrrha third and they were over half a lap behind. With just five laps remaining Yang could almost coast to the victory.

Yang drove past the casino at the top of the hill and the track began its long descent to the sea. A lapped car, it looked like Scarlet or Sage, was a little bit ahead. She closed in as they swung right past the botanical gardens and headed toward the railroad station and the hairpin. She followed Scarlet, she could tell it was him now, through the hairpin and the following pair of right-handers. She had no need to pass him. She would just follow him home. The cars accelerated through the tunnel and the track dropped away, heading down to the chicane. Scarlet braked harder than Yang was expecting but she had given him more than enough room. Yang was right on his gearbox as they entered the chicane.

Scarlet got the exit all wrong. He smacked the barrier on the left side of the course. It brought him almost to a stop and kicked his car back out across the track. Yang had nowhere to go. She plowed into the side of Scarlet's car and the interlocked machines ground to a halt. Yang sat there, staring straight ahead in total disbelief. It was her race! She had it won! Then it happened again! Cars streamed past at greatly reduced speed as Yang remained behind the wheel, gripping it as tightly as she could.

Scarlet climbed from his car and approached Yang to see if she was alright. He said something. Yang just stared straight ahead. He launched into some babbling apology in his stupid accent but Yang did not hear a word. She just stared straight forward. Scarlet asked if she was okay. What did he think? He crouched down beside the car and put his hand on her shoulder. Yang turned her head and looked him straight in the eyes. The look of concern on Scarlet's face turned to terror. Few people had seen Yang truly angry, and she may have been more angry in that moment than ever before in her life. Scarlet had made the mistake of taking his helmet off. Yang snapped around and punched him in the face. With a squeal he stumbled, hit his legs on the barrier and tumbled back, falling into the harbor.

Yang got out of her car and walked to Scarlet's. After kicking it, she grabbed his helmet. Scarlet was still in shock, bobbing in the water. Yang took aim and launched his helmet, nailing him in the head. He went limp and face-down in the water. Luckily rescue swimmers were present to prevent him from drowning. Yang stormed off, leaving the circuit and immediately heading for the airport. Sun shockingly won the race.

A few days later Yang to a phone call. It was from Scarlet. He apologized profusely. Yang had calmed down. She apologized right back. All was forgiven as far as the pair were concerned. Then came another call the following day. It was from a F1 representative. Yang was being fined for her conduct. 50,000 lien was not a small sum, even for someone as wealthy as she was. Now she was angry again. The representative got an earful, but there was nothing she could do. It was pay the fine or quit racing. She paid 25,000 lien. The rest of her fine was paid by a mysterious individual who identified himself only as SD.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Weiss loved Vale. She had won there in her championship season. Winter loved it. She had won there twice. Pyrrha loved it. She was a three time winner. Yang hated Vale. The reason was obvious. All she could think about was how she would get screwed this year. It was bound to happen. It always happened. If it was not a mistake on her part, it was another driver's mistake. If not that, a mechanical failure. There seemed to be an endless list of ways she could lose the race and she was well on her way to achieving them all.

This year though, Yang had something to look forward to. Her father was going to be there. It was the twentieth anniversary of his victory at the track and he had been asked to wave the green flag. He was reluctant - he hated going to races or even watching them on television, too many bad memories, too many worries about his daughter - but eventually Ruby and Yang talked him into it. It would be the first race he attended since that rainy day on Patch five years ago when the family became whole again. Yang could not help but be excited.

Practice gave Yang more reasons to look forward to the race. She was fastest in every session. Maybe her father being there was the extra spark she needed. Weiss was second quick in two sessions with Winter second in the other. Pyrrha finished all three sessions fourth. She could just not get the car to work for her. The aerodynamics were great but the mechanical grip was lacking. With her main competition struggling, it was looking very good for Yang. Weiss and Winter's second place times were nowhere near Yang. Still, practice was practice. The real test would be qualifying.

* * *

The Vale GP was notorious for surprise winners and success stories. The track was unlike any other and any driver with sufficient skill could win there, even in a less-than-ideal car. One of those surprise successes seemed to be in the offing. As time trials neared their end, Yang was the predictable leader. Then there was second place. It was May. Her teammate Nolin was nowhere. Third was Winter, followed by Pyrrha, Weiss, Sun, Coco, Arslan, Emerald and Reese Chloris. Reese had replaced the recently deceased Bolin Hori at Auburn Racing Team. She came from International F2 where she was leading the points. She had an off-track reputation as a fun-loving party animal. On track she had a reputation for being incredibly fast.

Yang was fairly confident that her time would hold up, but she was not going to take any chances. She headed out near the end of the session with the rest of the field for one last lap. She would be the first of the contenders to run. She made her way through the hairpin that led onto the frontstretch, diamonding the corner to get a better run off. She blasted down the frontstretch and across the line to begin her lap. Almost immediately she was on the brakes hard as the track climbed slightly uphill into the tight first corner, a square right-hander. She hit her marks and accelerated out, getting within inches of the armco as the track climbed steeply uphill. Yang was on the brakes again as she crested the hill and slung her car into the sweeping left-hander just before the casino. Before getting all the way through the corner she was braking again as the track suddenly swung right as it passed in front of the casino. It was all downhill from here, literally. The track dove away. She locked up the brakes slightly before the right-hander around the botanical gardens, but managed to get the car slowed and hit the apex. After a short blast she slowed to a crawl for the impossibly tight hairpin in front of the train station. Then it was another quick straight before the pair of right-handers that brought the track to the cliffside above the sea. She got a good run out of the second right and surged out toward the tunnel and the flat-out right hander. Her tires screamed, on the very edge of traction, as she rounded the sweeper before slamming on the brakes to slow for the chicane. With a quick slide left and an immediate right she was through. There was a major bump before the next turn, a left-hander in front of a dust shop. The car handled the bump well and she got a good run through the corner and out onto the straight. She arrived at the final hairpin, slowly rounded the corner, and powered out, careful not to spin the tires on exit. Seconds later she was across the line.

Yang had gone even faster, securing her the pole easily. Weiss outdid May to grab second in her last run, and Pyrrha ended up fourth behind them. Winter wound up a disappointing fifth followed by Sun, Arslan, Coco, Reese and Fox. Ciel and Jaune were mired deep in the field. Now all Yang had to do was win the race. As she knew all too well it was easier said than done.

* * *

Race day was sunny and warm. Yang was disappointed. Rain would have given her even more of an edge, not that she needed it. The rest of the field was not all that encouraged. All the practices and qualifying had been in the dry and Yang had wiped the floor with them anyway. Yang got some good news before heading out to the grid. A message got to her from Ruby who was still in Vacuo. It was two bits of good news actually. In practice Ruby had set the fastest time of the day on Saturday behind the wheel of Yang's car. The second part was that Ruby would be able to watch the Grand Prix live. F1 races were not usually televised live - or indeed at all - in Vacuo, but with so many F1 drivers in the year's 500, the station televising the 500 decided to show the Grand Prix to build hype. It was early morning there but Ruby was awake and watching.

The cars rolled out to the grid. A little later, they made their way around the circuit on their parade lap and lined up for the start. Taiyang held the flag high. He and Yang locked eyes and he smiled a bittersweet smile, tears welling in his eyes. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and dropped the flag. To the roar of engines and screeching of tires the cars were off in a mad dash to the first corner. Yang got a good start and made it through the corner cleanly in the lead. Weiss followed her through despite a challenge from May and Pyrrha filed in fourth. Winter got through fifth while behind her Sun and Arslan rounded the corner side-by-side. Coco came next, and then, chaos.

The field always bunched up at turn 1 in Vale. Reese slowed, more than she normally would have, to avoid hitting Coco. Emerald, just behind, did not. Emerald ran into the back of Reese's car and the pair spun. Reese smacked the armco on the outside of the circuit and Emerald spun to the inside, hitting Cardin and taking both to the inside barrier. Gwen Darcy spun into the runoff area on the outside of the corner as she attempted to avoid the crash. She would have been able to keep going but Jaune slid into her and damaged both cars sufficiently to take them out of the race. Very slowly the rest of the field picked its way through.

The leaders arrived to start their second lap and were greeted by yellow flags. The marshals were just getting the wrecks cleared away. Yang already had a lead of several car lengths. Over the next few laps her lead only grew. Weiss held onto second but May was right there. Pyrrha was a little ways back, under tremendous pressure from Winter. Luckily for Pyrrha, passing was almost impossible. Behind them there was a growing gap to Sun, Arslan and Coco; then a huge gap to the cars that had made it through the first lap crash.

On lap 30 the complexion of the race began to change. Weiss hit the throttle on exit of the final hairpin and her engine disintegrated. She coasted to a slow and smoky halt on the right edge of the circuit. May moved into second place and she was fast. Yang had built up a big lead and May immediately began chipping away at it. Just behind, Winter was having some sort of issue. She fell back from Pyrrha. On lap 36 Sun passed her and on the following lap so did Arslan. Before Coco could get around her Winter's transmission - already down two gears for some time - failed entirely on the run out of the first turn. She pulled the car off onto the sidewalk, her race over.

Lap after lap May looked to pass Yang on entry to the chicane. Lap after lap Yang blocked the move. Then May started looking in turn 1 and Yang was blocking her there too. All the while Pyrrha closed in. On lap 52 it was a three car race. May stopped trying to pass so often because she had to worry about Pyrrha, but she still made the occasional move. Then on lap 61, it was a two car race again. Pyrrha entered the corner at the top of the hill before the casino and her right-rear tire failed. She drifted the car around the corner, hanging onto it longer than she had any business doing, before it finally slapped the armco and ended her race.

For a track where passing was so difficult, it was turning into a very exciting race. In third Sun was struggling to hold off Arslan. She had the faster car but could not find a way around him. On lap 67 he gave her one. He drove too deep into the final hairpin and slid wide. Arslan was just waiting for the mistake and swept to his right, taking the inside line. They raced side-by-side down the frontstretch but when they reached turn 1, Sun was forced to yield. She immediately began to pull away.

At the front May was applying constant pressure. Yang decided to ignore her. She would drive a defensive line but otherwise pretend May was not even there. Yang needed total focus if she was going to finally win this damn race. The pair started the 80th and final lap. May looked inside at turn 1 but Yang was already there and she was forced to fall in line. There were no more legitimate passing opportunities until the chicane, and the cars ran line astern all the way through the tunnel and into the braking zone. Again Yang was already on a defensive line when May looked and they ran through the left-right nose-to-tail. May followed Yang down the straight and past the dust shop. As they headed for the final hairpin, Yang kept her car to the right of the circuit. May would not have the inside line.

So May took the outside line. Yang's tight line into the corner meant she had to brake harder and May pulled beside her. They ran through the corner wheel-to-wheel and arrived at the frontstretch almost even. Both floored it and both spun their tires, their cars squirming in a desperate search for grip. Yang's gripped just a little better. She and May ran side-by-side down the frontstretch as Yang edged ahead, passing under the checkered flag to win by half a car length. Then it all fell apart.

Without realizing it the drivers had interlocked wheels. When May slowed for the end of the race, Yang's left-rear clipped her right-front. Yang's car hooked hard into the armco and the two cars slid straight off turn 1. Taiyang - watching from the podium where he was to present the winner's trophy - was horrified. He leapt down from the platform and ran toward turn 1, pushing through fans, track workers, and anyone else who got in his way. When he got to the scene May was out of her car, crouching beside Yang's. May was frantically apologizing, almost hysterical. Yang had her helmet off but was still in her car, her face contorted in agony.

"Yang, what's wrong?!" Taiyang shouted as he rushed to her side. "Are you hurt?"

Yang looked over and saw her father coming. He was crying. She did her best to hide her pain but it was hopeless. "I'm…" She struggled for breath. "...fine." Another labored breath. "At least…" Another. "...I won." Another. "I think…" Another. "...I have…" Another. "...a punctured..." Another. "...lung."

"Don't move." Taiyang commanded. "We'll get you in an ambulance and to the hospital soon." He looked around frantically. Cars were still circulating so it was not safe for the ambulance to go out on track.

"I don't know why she's so hurt." May said in a panic. "It wasn't that hard a crash! This is my fault. I'm so sorry!"

"I broke…" Yang started. "...my ribs…" She continued. "...in Mistral."

"You've got broken ribs!" Taiyang exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing in a racecar?!"

"Can't…" Yang started. "...miss…" She continued. "...a race." She coughed. "Sorry...dad."

The ambulance finally arrived. Taiyang and the medics helped Yang out of the car and onto a waiting stretcher. She was loaded into the ambulance, followed by Taiyang, and it immediately headed for the hospital. The podium ceremony was unsurprisingly canceled. Weiss rushed to the hospital as soon as she could, accompanied by Pyrrha and Winter's personal physician.

* * *

When Weiss and her group arrived at the hospital Yang was in bed wearing an oxygen mask. She was awake but seemed dazed. "She's got a punctured lung." Taiyang reported. "The doctors wanted to insert a chest tube but Yang told them to wait for Winter's doctor."

"It's a good thing they waited." The doctor said. "Yang, how are you feeling."

"It hurts." She groaned. "A lot. It's hard...to breathe."

"Did they take an x-ray?" The doctor asked. Taiyang pointed to an envelope on a nearby table. The doctor reached inside and pulled out the film. He held it up to the light. "You don't need a chest tube." He said immediately. "If you can handle the pain, you don't need anything other than the oxygen mask."

"I can...take it." Yang said. "If it...will...get me...in...the car...sooner."

"Don't worry about driving." Taiyang said. He was an emotional wreck. He had clearly done a lot of crying and he was visibly shaking. "You can't race until you're 100%. It's too risky."

"I'd say she'll need to miss at least a month, maybe more." The doctor said. "You will not be driving again until I clear you. Do you understand?"

"I...understand." Yang confirmed. "I guess...I won't...be running...the 500."

"Why did you let her race in the first place?" Taiyang demanded.

"It was not my choice." The doctor said. "I recommended she sit Mistral out. I would have recommended she sit this race out as well if I had been asked. Unfortunately, I can only advise her. I have no official capacity to ban her from racing."

"This whole thing has been a nightmare." Taiyang said. "I go to one race and we're in the hospital. I don't...I can't…"

"I'm sorry." Yang strained.

"It's not your fault." Taiyang said, trying to regain his composure. "It's racing. These things happen." You know it and I know it.

Yang looked past her father to the pair of drivers standing by the door. "Pyrrha...Weiss…" She called them over. The came closer so she would not have to speak as loudly. "I have...an idea...for safety. I'll explain...later."

* * *

Standings after three races:

1st - Yang Xiao-Long - 21

2nd - Pyrrha Nikos - 15

3rd - Weiss Schnee - 10

3rd - May Zedong - 10

5th - Winter Schnee - 7

6th - Arslan Atlan - 4

6th - Sun Wukong - 4

8th - Coco Adel - 2

9th - Fox Alistair - 1

9th - Neptune Vasilias - 1

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The Vale GP is still based on Monaco. They layout as described is accurate to the time period.

\- Yang's history at the Vale GP is based on the experience of a number of drivers at a number of races. In F1, Jenson Button has always had dreadful luck at home in Britain and Mark Webber struggled in Australia. In NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Sr. dominated at Daytona but took almost his whole career to win the Daytona 500, only after losing it in just about every conceivable way.

\- Please imagine the exchange between Yang and Scarlet as taking place between their voice actors. It makes it a thousand times funnier.

\- Yang's injuries were not inspired by the injuries that kept Fernando Alonso out of the 2016 Bahrain GP. This chapter, and most of the others, were written even before his crash in Australia.

\- The crash at the end of the race was inspired by the finish of the 1992 Winston All-Star race (NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway). Davey Allison and Kyle Petty crossed the line side-by-side with Davey just ahead, but their cars touched and Davey was hooked into the wall hard. He was badly concussed and taken straight to the hospital. Given that his helmet made contact with the retaining wall, it's a miracle he even survived, let alone came back to race 600 miles just a week later.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- A first corner wreck of the type described would likely have led to a red flag and restart.

\- A crash at the end of a race at Monaco like the one described has not happened, though the tight confines of the circuit make it entirely plausible.

\- Yang's injuries as described probably would require the chest tube for proper treatment. As a racing driver in the 70's, she probably would have refused anyway.


	6. Carburetion Day

**Author's Note:** As I said Monday, I'm on vacation until at least Monday night so I might not be able to reply to comments with my usual alacrity.

* * *

Chapter 6

 _Two Years Ago_

May had a relationship with the Vacuo Motor Speedway like Yang had with Vale. For all her years in Champ Car and all her attempts, she simply could not seem to win the 500. Something would always go wrong, usually something totally beyond her control. She hoped this year would be different but was fairly certain it would not be. She was cursed, plain and simple. Even starting from pole for the third consecutive season would not be enough. Somewhere along the line something would happen and she would end up disappointed again.

Pyrrha was driving the 500 for the first time. She found the track mildly terrifying but incredibly thrilling. She had qualified fifth, excellent for a rookie, but was really just happy to be in the race. Over in F1 she was leading the World Championship and felt great about her chances. A win in the 500 would just be another accolade, albeit a huge one. In the end she was just there to have fun. She did feel the need to put in a good performance though. As an apology for years of being a lousy teammate, Jaune had paid a regular Champ Car team to field an extra car for her. She did not want that money to go to waste.

From the outset it was clear this year would see a two car race. May jumped out to an early lead. Pyrrha started to close in once she cleared the rest of the field. May's lead stabilized with Pyrrha close behind her. May could not help but feel like Pyrrha was faster, just biding her time waiting for the right moment. In truth, it was all the speed Pyrrha had. She was giving it everything but could not catch May. They came in for their first pit stop at the same time and left simultaneously as well, the battle for the lead picking up right where it had left off. Pyrrha closed on May, but as the laps ticked off and the tires wore out, May stretched out her lead again.

They cycle repeated over and over as the race continued. Pyrrha was faster on fresh rubber, May faster late in the run. There was little to decide between them. Then with 37 laps remaining there was a crash. It was not that big a wreck but it was enough to bring out a caution flag. Someone got out of the groove in turn two, slid up the track and slapped the wall, a fairly common occurrence. The drivers would make their final pit stops and run to the finish. May came in first with Pyrrha second. They left the same way. But now they would be nose-to-tail.

The race went back to green. Pyrrha followed May for a few laps but was obviously faster. She got a good run down the backstretch with 29 laps to go and took the lead. Over the next few laps she started to pull away. Their relative speeds crossed over with 16 to go. May was now faster and set about reeling Pyrrha in. With 9 to go she was there, right on Pyrrha's tail. They drove off turn 4 and May got a great run. She ducked to the left and swept past Pyrrha to retake the lead. From there May pulled away, her lead increasing with each circuit.

It finally looked as if May would win the 500. After 5 years of trying and 4 years when she should have won, she was finally going to do it. But as May crossed the line with 3 laps remaining, something did not feel right. The engine sounded normal, so that must not have been the issue. She slung her car through the first two turns and onto the backstretch. It still felt wrong but it drove fine. Maybe she was imagining things. Late in the race it was easy for a driver to get overly nervous and start noticing sensations they had not before. She checked her mirrors just before entering turn 3 and Pyrrha was well behind. May eased out of the throttle and turned into the corner. Something caught her eye. The right front tire looked...strange.

After a slow leak the right from tire could take no more. It shredded and May skidded up the track and slammed the concrete wall. It was a hard hit but there was no fire and May was unhurt. Pyrrha swept past as May's car came to a halt between turns 3 and 4. It had happened again. Again! Pyrrha took the victory. Pyrrha got to go to the winner's circle. Pyrrha got to drink the milk. Pyrrha got to hoist the trophy. May seethed. It was her race damnit! Pyrrha even acknowledged it in her interviews! Damnit!

Pyrrha went on to be World Champion that year and the next. May would take the Champ Car title the next year before moving to F1. She lost the 500 again though, this time with an early engine failure. Pyrrha had not returned to defend her title. May knew she could be just as good a driver. She just needed fate to let her prove it.

* * *

 _One Week Ago_

Ruby watched on television as Yang took the win in the Vale GP by inches. Ruby jumped out of her seat and cheered. Her joy turned to horror as the two cars touched, pitching Yang's into the armco before the two wrecked hulks slid to a stop off the first turn. The camera zoomed in on the cars. Yang was moving around and took off her helmet. That was a good sign. But she did not get up. She did not even try. The camera became more focused and Ruby could see the pain on Yang's face. May jumped out of her car and stepped into the way of the camera shot.

A few seconds later Taiyang arrived, leaping over the armco and rushing to his daughter's car. Ruby knew Yang's ribs were probably hurting her a lot but she was not too worried until she saw the look on her father's face. There was such terror in his eyes. It did not go away as he talked to Yang and he seemed more frantic by the second. May looked panicked too. Ruby wanted to be there to help but she was thousands of miles away. All she could do was watch helplessly. She started crying.

"I'm sure everything will be alright." Ren finally said as Yang was loaded into an ambulance. He was in Vacuo with Ruby to tend to the team's engines. He wanted to help but was not good at emotional stuff. "She probably just rebroke her ribs."

"Dad looked so scared." Ruby cried. "What if it's worse than that?"

"You shouldn't get worked up until we know something for sure." Ren suggested. "I'm sure they'll call as soon as they can."

"You're right." Ruby said, struggling to stop crying. "It wasn't that hard a hit. I'm sure Yang will be fine." Ruby was doing a decent job of calming herself down. "What if she can't run the 500?"

"We shouldn't worry about that now." Ren said. "There's plenty of time to figure everything out. Besides, you could drive if you had to, right?"

"M...me?" Ruby stammered. "I couldn't possibly. I've never driven a big race before."

"There's a first time for everything." Ren shrugged. "Who knows? Yang might end up racing anyway. She's tough."

"Y...you're right." Ruby said. "She's going to be alright and she'll drive as planned. She'll win too! It'll be great."

"That's the spirit." Ren encouraged. He recognized self-deception when he heard it. He knew as well as Ruby did that Yang was not getting in that car, even if she had only re-broken her ribs. But he was not about to say so. He hated to see anyone in pain and Ruby was a good friend. If lying to herself helped, it was fine with him.

* * *

 _Present Day_

On Tuesday night Yang was still in terrible pain and not quite breathing normally yet. The doctors wanted her to stay in the hospital but she had places to go. She signed herself out against medical advice, and against even more advice boarded Beacon GP's private jet bound for Vacuo. Even if she was not racing, she was going to be there for her team. Taiyang insisted on going with her. He was not about to let her do something stupid.

Early the next morning Yang arrived at the track along with most of the other drivers and teams. Taiyang parked their rental car as close as he could and helped her walk to the garage. As the pair walked in everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Yang said. Her voice was still weak and her breathing abnormally labored, but it was a big improvement on just the previous day. "I guess you weren't expecting me."

"Dr. Glenn said you wouldn't be out of the hospital for a week." Weiss said. Dr. Glenn was Winter's personal physician.

"She shouldn't be." Taiyang sighed.

"I couldn't stay away." Yang explained. "I wanted to be here to support you guys." Taiyang helped her into a chair. "So, who's driving my car?"

"We were just talking about that." Ozpin said. "There was only one driver we could imagine putting in that seat, and she's been reluctant."

"Oh, who might that be?" Yang asked.

"Me." Ruby replied.

"Huh?" Yang said.

"What?!" Taiyang shouted.

"I'm certified to drive here and I've set faster times in the car than you did." Ruby said. "I don't know though. This isn't an F2 race we're talking about. This race is three hours long."

"Do it." Yang said. "You said it yourself. No one knows that car better than you do, and you're fast. You shouldn't pass up an opportunity like this."

"But what if I can't do it?" Ruby asked. "I'm not in perfect shape."

"If it's too much you can always use a relief driver." Yang suggested. "I'm sure there will be plenty of drivers falling out early who would get in the car for you. Just give it a shot." Ruby seemed unconvinced. "Do it for me."

Ruby thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll do it." She declared.

"Hold on a second." Taiyang said. "You can't be serious. Oz, this is a joke, right?"

"I'm serious." Ruby said. "I've been driving these cars all month. I probably have more laps than the three of them."

"I thought you were afraid of driving." Taiyang said.

"I was...I am." Ruby admitted. "But it's fun when I'm doing it. Winning that F3 race last year was amazing. After having run some races, I can see why you guys love it so much." Now it was Taiyang who was unconvinced. "Come on dad. I know the risks but I want to do this. I may never get another chance to run a big race like this."

"Well, if you don't do it you'll probably end up regretting it." Taiyang sighed. "This family doesn't need more regrets." Taiyang walked up to Ozpin and got right in his face. "If anything happens to her, I'm going to kill you."

"If anything happens to her, you won't have to." Ozpin replied with a grim expression on his face.

"So this conversation took a turn." Yang laughed, trying to lighten the mood. She immediately regretted it, grimacing in pain and grabbing her chest.

"Try to take it easy." Taiyang suggested. "The doctors said it's not good to do too much talking."

"One more thing, then I'll shut up for a while." Yang said. "Pyrrha and Weiss." The pair walked over so Yang could talk to them more easily. "I told you I had a safety plan. Consider this a meeting of the GPDA Directors."

"So what's your plan?" Pyrrha asked.

"F1 needs an official doctor." Yang said.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

"I mean someone like Dr. Glenn who goes to every race, knows the drivers and their medical histories, and can be in charge in case of a medical emergency." Yang explained. "At the hospital in Vale they wanted to do all kinds of unnecessary procedures until Dr. Glenn showed up. And Vale has a good hospital. Imagine if it was someplace like Forever Fall. Who knows what damage the local doctors could do."

"That's an excellent idea." Pyrrha agreed. "And if the physician knows our personal medical histories as well, it would make treating us easier."

"That's not all." Yang continued. "I know it'll be a tough sell to the other drivers, but we should all need to be medically certified before racing. If we had a system like that I wouldn't have raced in Mistral and probably not in Vale either. I'd be healthy though."

"You're right, that will be a tough sell." Weiss said. "And you do realize that you'll probably be the first victim of that policy if we enact it?"

Yang nodded. "I think that will help smooth things over with the other drivers." She said. "My idea penalizes me most."

"They probably won't want to submit to regular physicals." Pyrrha said.

"It doesn't matter." Yang said. "We'd only need to be certified after an accident. If you don't crash, you may never have to speak to the doctor."

"I like the idea." Pyrrha said.

"I'm onboard." Weiss agreed. "After practice I'll give Winter a call to run it by her too. If she likes it she can get in touch with the other drivers for a vote. If that passes the series will pretty much have to make it official." Yang smiled and nodded. She was done talking as promised.

"Meeting adjourned." Pyrrha said.

With that settled it was time to focus on the racing. "Nora, can you handle the chassis adjustments while I drive?" Ruby asked. "Ren and Blake have enough to worry about with the engines."

"Not a problem!" Nora exclaimed. Though not the chassis designer Ruby was, with her trusty hammer and maybe some less destructive tools, Nora could fill the role of in-race mechanic as well as Ruby.

"I guess I'm really doing this." Ruby said with an uneasy laugh.

"I can't watch." Taiyang sighed.

"Shall we go for lunch then?" Ozpin suggested. "There are a few nice restaurants not too far away and I think we've got some catching up to do. This one little diner has the best milkshakes..."

"You know, I think I'd like that." Taiyang agreed. "It really has been too long."

* * *

"You're not coming to the 500?" Ruby sighed into the phone.

"I am sorry." Penny said on the other end. "You know how I feel about going to the track." Since her accident she rarely attended a race. She was happy to stay at the shop and work on improving the engines. As important as Blake and Ren were, Beacon Motorworks would not be anywhere near as successful without Penny. She was an artist and racing engines were her canvas. The closest she usually came to racing anymore was when she occasionally took one of her experimental engines for a test drive around the Beacon Motorworks R&D Course. Sure, she occasionally made it to the track. She was there when Yang, Weiss and Pyrrha locked up their championships with her engines in the backs of their cars. But that was a little different. She sat in the team trailer for the entirety of the first race crying with Ruby trying to soothe her. For Weiss' title she waited outside the track until the very end. For both of Pyrrha's she managed to make it to the garage but sat there shaking, just staring at the walls and trying her best to ignore the race.

"I know it's hard but this is a really big race!" Ruby said. "Even if we don't win, there are a lot of cars with your engines in them. You should be here to celebrate and everyone would be so excited to see you."

"I don't know." Penny said.

"Please." Ruby implored. "It's my first big race and I want my best friend to be there."

There was a long pause. "I guess I can come." Penny relented. "I'll try to watch the race."

"That's all I ask." Ruby said happily. "Yang will be there to help you through it too."

"I will see you soon then." Penny said. She sounded nervous.

"Thank you so much!" Ruby exclaimed. "It'll be a great time, I promise!"

* * *

Wednesday was the last full day of practice before the Vacuo 500. There would be a brief warm-up session before the race on Sunday, but if the car was not ready by then it simply would not be ready. Ruby had run hundreds of laps over the month of May, but suddenly being in the car felt different. Previously she had been driving as a mechanic. It was purely an exercise in improving the car, she was just a tool. Now it was about her. She needed to improve. It was not just her driving skill that needed work. Ruby needed to be psychologically prepared. Racing was different from practice. In practice it was easy to find a nice open patch of track to drive in alone. In the race, there would be no choice. There would be traffic. Ruby had almost no experience driving in a group, at least not at these kinds of speeds. It required an entirely different sort of focus that she would have to develop quickly.

Pyrrha and Weiss were ready to help Ruby out. It was the least they could do to thank her for building their cars. To that end, all three cars rolled out at the same time and ran laps together. It was basically a race simulation. They drafted, swapped positions, fell back and closed in, and took turns leading. When the time came, they came in for pit stops just as they would in the race. That was another new one for Ruby who had never made a single pit stop in her few F3 and F2 races. On her first try she missed her marks badly and slid through the pit stall. Luckily the crew was anticipating an error and no one was in her way. The crew hopped over the wall, pulled her car back into the pit stall, and completed the service. Pyrrha and Weiss waited. Ozpin walked to each car before letting them back on track. His message was simple. They would pit every other lap until Ruby got the hang of it. Ruby was a fast learner. She was a little slow on her second try but the third was spot on. Then the trio was back out again to resume the race simulation.

By the end of the day Ruby was fairly comfortable in the car, and reasonably sure she would be able to run the whole race. After all, between two race simulations - one each before and after lunch - she and the others had run around 300 laps apiece, more than the race distance of 200. Each had suffered mechanical issues that ended one of the simulations early, but Weiss and Ruby had run all 200 laps in the first simulation, and Pyrrha managed all 200 in the second. With any luck, all three would see the finish of the real thing. Beyond being fairly reliable, they were fast. Other drivers set significantly faster single-lap times, but for long-distance pace, the Beacon trio was right at the top along with May and a few series regulars. It was going to be an interesting race to be sure.

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- May's relationship with the Vacuo 500 is based on the same things as Yang's with the Vale GP.

\- Dr. Glenn is based on Dr. Sid Watkins, official doctor for F1 from 1978 until the early 2000's. I've read both his books, and they're fantastic.

\- Relief drivers were fairly common in this era of motorsport. A few years earlier, in 1953, one of the top finishers in the Indianapolis 500 was a car that had 5 different drivers during a race that saw temperatures so high that almost half the field needed relief and one driver died from heat stroke.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- People did not drive cars of their own construction at Indy in the 70's.

\- F1 didn't get an official doctor until 1978 when Bernie Ecclestone brought in Sid Watkins. It was even longer before he had real authority.


	7. The 500

**Author's Note:** I should be back from my vacation later today, but until then my responses may still be a bit slow.

* * *

Chapter 7

 _Two Years Ago_

"Ruby, you'll do great." Yang said.

Ruby sat inside her F3 car, an updated version of the one she had built all those years ago for Yang. Now she was going to drive it in her first race. It would be a 50 lap race of the Grand Patch Vacuo Circuit, a shortened version of the course used for lower level races. Ruby had been excited to drive. All her friends were drivers, current and former, and it looked so fun. After what had happened to her mother, Ruby was understandably afraid to get behind the wheel of a race car, but she decided to at least give it a try. If it was half as fun as Yang made it sound, it would be worth it.

Now that she was actually going through with it, Ruby was beginning to regret her decision. She had thrown up from nerves before each practice session and qualifying, and those were just the warm-up. It was time for the race and she would be surrounded by other drivers. She was confident in her own ability to not crash, but in F3 there were some real incompetents. She was not concerned that her own mistake could get her killed - the Grand Patch Vacuo Circuit was not particularly fast and any one-car crash would be minor - but someone doing something stupid could be her end. She threw up in a trash can in the back of the garage before getting into the car. Now that she was in the seat she could not stop shaking. Every rational fiber of her being told her to get out and give it up. If it was just her, she probably would have. But Yang was there in the garage, and her other friends were in the crowd. If she backed out now she would disappoint them.

"Ruby, did you hear me?" Yang asked. Ruby had not responded to her encouragement. She was still shaking, hands gripping the wheel with white-knuckle intensity, staring straight ahead through the lifted visor of her bright red helmet. Yang was worried.

"I...I heard you." Ruby said. "I feel sick."

"Should I get the trashcan?" Yang asked.

"No, I don't think there's anything left in me to puke out." Ruby said with a forced laugh. If she did not head out to the grid now she would be late and be forced to start from pit road. She had qualified mid-pack, but the penalty would still be devastating. "St...start it up."

Yang walked behind the car, and plugged in the external starter. The engine, a 1.0 liter 4 cylinder specially made by Penny, came to life with a high-pitched whine. "You're all set!" Yang shouted over the screaming engine. "Go get 'em!"

Ruby nodded, slapped her visor down and drove out of the garage. She made her way slowly around the track before picking her way through the mostly-full grid to her starting spot in eleventh. She was starting on the outside of the sixth row, smack in the middle of the field of 21 cars. As she looked around at the other vehicles she began to wonder if it would have been better to start from the pit road. Turn 1 at Grand Patch, Garage Hill, was notorious for first lap accidents and they usually consumed the middle of the pack. Well, it was too late now.

The cars rolled around for their parade lap before reforming on the grid for the start. The starter raised his flag and the drivers revved their engines. The small, high-revving engines produced a deafening scream. The flag dropped and they were off. Ruby, still nervous, botched the start. She spun her tires badly. At least she had not stalled. That would have been embarrassing. The tires finally bit and Ruby powered ahead, already down to fifteenth by the time she reached the first corner. The downhill, off-camber, right-hander was one of the trickiest in the world, and not everyone got it right. A few cars in front of Ruby, the twelfth place starter missed his braking point, slid wide and collected the thirteenth place starter, taking both off the track and into the armco. Now Ruby was glad she had blown the start. If she had not she would have been in the armco too.

The cars continued downhill briefly before shooting back up toward the Huntsman Hairpin. Ruby was trapped on the outside by the traffic, normally not the preferred line, but there was a jam-up and it worked in her favor. Every car was trying to get to the inside and there was simply not room. Ruby rolled around the outside and picked up a few spots. By the time she was around the hairpin and heading back downhill, she was back to her original eleventh position. Ruby would be on the inside line for the next corner at the bottom of the hill, Ironwood Curve. With the field spread out a little, the preferred line was again an advantage. She passed a car hung to her outside to move up to tenth. Ruby powered out of the corner and onto the following straight, now clear of cars on either side for the first time in the race. She kept to the right side of the circuit, lining up for the next corner, Port. In the F1 configuration of the track, Port was a long, tight, uphill hairpin. For this race, it was just a small kink. Ruby barely touched the brakes before pitching her car to the left. She shot off the F1 track and into Vacuo Bend. It connected Port Bend and Rose Curve, cutting off the fastest parts of the track, those inappropriate for slower cars like F3.

Ruby followed the car in front of her through Vacuo Bend and Rose Curve and they were back on the frontstretch. It was only one lap, but it was Ruby's first in a race and she was relieved to have not screwed it up too badly. It was a big boost to her confidence. For the next few laps she followed the car in front of her, getting into a rhythm and just learning. She slowly got more and more comfortable. Her nerves calmed. There was no more fear, no more worry. It was just Ruby, her car, the track and the competition. She went for a pass on entry to the Huntsman Hairpin. The driver in front of her did not even attempt to block and she made the move cleanly. She was getting the hang of it. A few laps later she made another pass. Then after a while another and another.

As Ruby blazed down the frontstretch she glanced over to see Yang holding the pitboard. One lap to go. Already? Ruby had lost count long ago and was just having fun. Well, if it was the last lap, she should probably work on making that pass she had been setting up. Garage Hill was not an option so Ruby stayed in line, waiting for the Huntsman Hairpin. She moved right to pass but the driver ahead blocked. Ruby moved back left and drove up alongside, but had to fall back in line as they rounded the corner. Ironwood was not a great place to pass. Port was not either. Nor were Vacuo and Rose. Ruby hung back a little as they entered Port, shot across to Vacuo and braked heavily for Rose Curve. The driver ahead took a defensive line but Ruby ignored him, taking her usual line into the corner. The other driver slid wide and Ruby ducked to the right on exit. They ran down the frontstretch side-by-side, Ruby just edging ahead as they crossed under the checkered flag.

Ruby cruised around the track, happy to have finished her first race but a little disappointed it was over. She started to head for the garage but one of the race officials stepped in front of her and waved her in a different direction once she was on pit road. Ruby lifted her visor. "What's going on?" She asked.

"What's going on?" The official repeated. He looked terribly confused. "You finished third, go to the podium."

"I finished what now?!" Ruby exclaimed. She had not been keeping track of her position, instead just focusing on driving. Without her noticing two cars in front of her had dropped out with mechanical issues. "Are you joking?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" The official replied. He did not.

Podium on debut? Incredible! Ruby had never imagined she would be so successful in her first race. Her goal had been to keep her car on the track, nothing more. She had not expected to finish in the top half, let alone the top 3. Maybe all the fear, all the nervous energy, all the vomit was worth it. She might just have a future behind the wheel.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The morning of the Vacuo 500 dawned cool and overcast. Rain was not in the forecast but it was going to be very windy. Ruby did not really care about the weather. The cars had been rolled out onto pit road and lined up. Everyone else was out with the cars or in their pit boxes as pre-race ceremonies got underway. Ruby was in the garage, throwing up. She threw up before every race. It was not fear so much as nervousness most of the time but today she was afraid. She was not just afraid of getting killed, though the possibility certainly crossed her mind, but also of making a fool of herself. It was her first big race. The world would be watching. If she screwed it up it might be her last and she would go down in history as an idiot who was out of her depth.

"You're missing the show." A familiar voice said.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby said. She turned to see him leaning against the wall at the mouth of the garage. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to check on you." Qrow replied.

"I mean, what are you doing in Vacuo?" Ruby clarified. "I didn't know you were coming to the race."

"I thought you might need a crew chief." Qrow said. "I talked it over with Nora and she's more than happy to let me take over."

"You're going to be my mechanic?" Ruby said with building excitement. "Just like for mom and dad?"

"You got it kiddo." Qrow confirmed. "I've got to say, it's a much easier job this time. You did all the hard work making the car fast."

"Coming from you that means so much." Ruby said. "I only ever wanted to be a mechanic like you. I never thought I'd drive."

"I knew you'd end up in the car someday." Qrow said. "It's in your blood."

"I don't know about that." Ruby sighed. "I'm a nervous wreck. I can't stop puking."

"Your mother was a nervous wreck before races too." Qrow said. "She would sit there shaking and staring at the wall like she was in some kind of trance. She wouldn't eat anything before the race because she knew she would just throw it up. Then she got in the car and she'd have the biggest smile on her face. She'd be laughing and joking with the crew. It was like she was a totally different person."

"I guess I'm pretty different once the cars start rolling." Ruby said. "I worry and worry but once the race starts it's really fun. I'm really nervous about today though. What if I screw it up?"

"You won't screw it up." Qrow encouraged. "You're a technician who leaves nothing to chance. Something might be screwed up for you, but it won't be your mistake."

"And what if it is?" Ruby asked.

"Who cares?" Qrow replied. "It's your first real race. Most people would be more surprised if you didn't totally blow it."

"That doesn't fill me with confidence." Ruby groaned.

"You've already beat out both your parents." Qrow said. "Your dad didn't get through his first F1 practice without obliterating his car and your mom liked to joke about how she over-revved and destroyed her engine as soon as she left the pits at her first big sports car race. If you can get past turn 1 you'll beat Yang too."

"I guess I don't have the highest standards to live up to." Ruby laughed. She threw up one last time before picking up her helmet and balaclava. "I'm ready."

* * *

The pre-race ceremonies were quite the spectacle. It started hours before the race and only got more spectacular as the start closed in. When it came time for Vacuo's national anthem, it was performed by a full marching band. Then it was time for the drivers to report to their cars. Ruby took one last look at her car before getting in. The silver machine sporting the number 71 was a thing of beauty, polished to a mirror sheen. She could still see where her name had been painted over Yang's, and the reminder that it was her sister's car made her sad. She let the feeling pass and put in her balaclava and helmet before climbing aboard.

Qrow came over and crouched beside the car. "Alright kiddo, this is it." He said. "Take it easy early on and let the race come to you. I know you can do this."

After Qrow walked away, heading for the team's pit stall, Penny approached looking terribly nervous. "I am so happy for you." Penny said with a big smile. "Have fun!"

Yang stood behind the car holding the external starter. Originally it had been planned for Ruby to start Yang's engine, but with Yang's injury the roles were reversed. "Go kick some ass!" Yang yelled. "Show the world what you've got!"

A hush came over the crowd as the track announcer spoke. "And now, with the command to start engines, speedway president Tawny Huntsman."

"Ladies and gentlemen…" Tawny began, almost at a whisper. "START! YOUR! ENGINES!"

Yang plugged the external starter into the back of Ruby's car and the engine roared to life. Ren did the same for Pyrrha and Blake for Weiss. Once it was confirmed that all the cars had been successfully started, the officials began waving the field off pit road. Ruby had a long wait. Yang had qualified the car fifth, but since the driver and qualifier were different, Ruby would have to start 33rd and last. Finally it was her time to roll and she followed the other cars onto the track.

On the first row Pyrrha held the pole position on the inside, with May in the middle and Weiss on the outside in third. Just behind Pyrrha was Nadir, the race's defending winner. All the way at the back, on the outside of row 11, was Ruby. Following behind the pace car, they filed past the flag stand and the flagman signaled that the race would start the next lap. The field bunched up, the three-wide rows closing together in anticipation of the start. Ruby hung back a little. She knew she could not win the race on the first lap but she sure could lose it.

The cars rolled off turn 4 and onto the frontstretch. The pace car pulled away and headed down the pit road. At the front Pyrrha waited. The flagman unfurled his green flag and waved it wildly. Pyrrha mashed the throttle and her car leapt forward, pulling her clear of May and Weiss. The cars accelerated as one, thundering down the cavernous frontstretch toward the first corner. At the front Pyrrha was clear and took a clean line into the corner. Weiss yielded second to May and slipped in front of Nadir as the top four ran single-file. Further back in the field, things were more chaotic. Row 8 did not get things sorted out and went into the first corner three-wide. The car on the outside clipped the one in the middle and both spun down the track, taking out the car on the inside line. All three then slid up the track toward the wall, taking out two cars from row 10. Ruby, having hung back on the start, slowly picked her way through the carnage as the yellow flag waved and yellow lights all around the track flashed. There it was. Ruby had not only outdone Yang, she had not been the biggest idiot of the race.

The yellow flag period was brief. The drivers involved were unhurt and the wrecked cars were hastily rolled off the circuit. When the green flag waved again, Pyrrha maintained her lead with the same three behind her. Pyrrha, May, Weiss and Nadir ran line astern and began to pull away from the rest of the pack. They could fight over their positions later. As long as they just stayed in line drafting each other, they would keep pulling away. Further back Ruby found that her car was much faster than those around her. She made up positions in chunks, passing two and three cars per straightaway until she had made her way into the top 10. There the competition was stiffer. Ruby still had the faster machine, but the gap was smaller and she had to be more tactical in order to complete the passes. With an abundance of caution she decided to stay in line and learn from the other competitors.

After the first lap accident, there were no further calamities before the first pit stops. Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby all came in on the same lap. They had an ace up their sleeve. Instead of using a normal Champ Car pit crew, they had hired crews from Vacuo's National Stock Car Series. Winter had used the trick during her victorious run and they were still the fastest in the world. Tires were changed and the cars were filled with fuel in what seemed to the F1 drivers the blink of an eye. Add to that a quick drink of water for the driver and the service was complete.

May and Nadir came in the next lap. They were using Champ Car crews, but they were still fast. The pair came out just ahead of Pyrrha and Weiss, but the Beacon drivers were already up to speed and flashed past to take the top two spots. Ruby had managed to gain a few spots on her stop and was now up to seventh. Seventh became sixth as one of the drivers ahead fell out of the race with a mechanical failure. The next car ahead of Ruby was Arslan, the leader of the second pack of cars. Ruby got a good run off of turn 4 and swept to the left, driving up alongside Arslan's car. As they reached turn 1 Arslan yielded the position and Ruby swept into fifth.

* * *

Penny and Yang sat in Ruby's pit watching the race. Taiyang was there too but he was not watching the race, instead staring ground, afraid to look. "You guys look like you need a drink." Qrow said, walking over. He slipped a flask out of his shirt and handed it to Taiyang. Taiyang emptied it on the spot. Qrow turned the flask upside down and held it up. "Good thing I brought a backup. Well, a few backups if I'm honest." He pulled yet more booze from his pocket and offered it to Yang. She took a quick sip and handed it back. Qrow offered the flask to Penny.

"I don't drink." Penny said.

"You should." Qrow suggested. "I've never seen anyone shake so violently for so long. I'm afraid you'll fly apart."

"I'm just scared for Ruby." Penny said. "And I have bad memories too."

"Well there's nothing like a little alcohol to make you forget your troubles." Qrow said, offering the flask more insistently.

Penny looked up at Qrow's smiling face. "Uncle Qrow, you're being a bad influence." Yang said. Penny grabbed the flask and took a long swig.

"Better?" Qrow asked.

"Maybe a little." Penny admitted. She handed the flask to Yang and she took another sip. Yang tried to hand it back to Qrow but he held up his hands and let her keep it.

"Good." Qrow said. "Come on you guys. Try to enjoy yourselves."

* * *

The second pit stop was rapidly approaching. Pyrrha raced down the frontstretch. Her pit board read "Pit In 2." She led the pack around turns 1 and 2 and onto the backstretch. She checked her mirrors. May had retaken second from Weiss, who had also fallen behind Nadir and into fourth. May was not looking to make any moves so Pyrrha focused on her corners. She swept around turn 3 and onto the North Chute. She knew immediately that she had a tire going down. She had to pit now. Pyrrha waved her hand to warn the drivers behind her that she was slowing and got out of the throttle more than usual. It was too late. As the car headed for corner exit the right-rear tire, damaged by a piece of debris, shredded. The car pitched into a counterclockwise spin, sliding up toward the wall before veering away from it as the corner ended.

Pyrrha was sliding toward the pit entrance. She hoped there were not crews over the wall in her path because it would be a bloodbath. She locked up the brakes as the car slid and realized that her predicament was worse than she had thought. She was not heading for the pit entrance. She was heading for the end of the wall that separated the pits from the frontstretch. Her pupils dilated as she skidded toward her fate. Over the screech of her tires there was the shriek of rending metal. A fireball engulfed the car briefly before burning itself out. Near the end of the run there was little fuel left to burn.

Pyrrha was shocked to find herself alive and unhurt. She leapt from the car, which was slightly on fire, and took a few quick steps away from the shattered hulk. She looked back to see half a car. From the driver's seat forward the car was virtually undamaged, sitting in the middle of pit road where it had come to rest. She looked up and spotted the other half. An unrecognizable tangle of twisted metal was all that remained of the back half of the car, sheared cleanly off by the pit wall. It now sat in the middle of the frontstretch, burning. Pyrrha took off her helmet and balaclava and tried to catch her breath. She was just happy to be alive.

Pyrrha knew her friends would be terrified by what they had seen. Weiss would have seen the whole accident and Ruby the aftermath. Instead of heading back to her pit, she first went out to the wall separating the pits from the track. She waited for the cars to come around under the yellow flag and waved as they passed. They were surely relieved to see her alive and well. Then she made her way back to her pit. They were happy to see her too. All they had seen from the opposite end of the pit lane was a fireball. Then her car had not come past with the others and the track announcer had said something about a terrible crash. There were hugs all around, including one from a sobbing Penny and another from a terrified-looking Yang, then Pyrrha sat down with the others to watch the rest of the race.

The second round of pit stops occurred under yellow flag conditions. Once what remained of Pyrrha's car was dragged out of the way, all the cars still running came down the pit lane for service. Weiss came out in the lead, and on the back of a blisteringly fast stop, Ruby followed her out second. May was third and Nadir fourth. The race had changed but it was still two Beacon cars up front with two much more experienced Champ Car drivers.

* * *

"I'm so glad you're alright." Yang slurred. She slid her chair closer to Pyrrha's, leaned against her and grabbed her arm. "I don't know what I would have done if you'd been hurt."

"Yang...are you drunk?" Pyrrha asked. "You're being awfully affectionate."

Yang paused and thought for a moment. "Between the painkillers and whatever's in Qrow's flask, I think I am." She concluded. Beside her Penny finished what little was left in the flask Qrow had given the pair. "I think it might be pure alcohol but…"

"Uh, Yang, can I have my arm back." Pyrrha interrupted her.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Yang said as she released her. "I just uh...really like you a lot."

"Yang, maybe you should stop talking." Pyrrha suggested. She was beginning to blush. "You might be embarrassed by what you're saying once you sober up. Either that or I'm learning a lot about you."

"Did I make it weird?" Yang asked. "I made it weird didn't I?"

"Don't worry about it." Pyrrha said. "Just watch the race." Yang kept looking at Pyrrha and Pyrrha was feeling embarrassed. She reached up and turned Yang's head toward the track. "I said, watch the race."

"Pyrrha, do you think Ruby would say yes if I asked her to marry me?" Penny asked, slurring her speech badly.

"That's it, I'm going to have a talk with Qrow!" Pyrrha shouted.

"What's gotten into her?" Penny asked as Pyrrha stormed off.

"I don't know." Yang said. "Maybe she needs a drink too."

* * *

At three quarters distance May was in the lead and Nadir was second with Weiss and Ruby just behind. It was a position May knew well. She also knew it could all end in a second. She was just waiting for the shoe to drop. She did not have long to wait. As they roared down the frontstretch she suddenly heard a loud bang, accompanied by a screeching noise as her engine seized up. Her car slowed suddenly, as if she had thrown out a parachute. Nadir was not able to react in time and plowed into the back of May's car. Both crumpled cars spun down the frontstretch as the flagman waved the yellow. May was angry but hardly surprised. She would just have to try again next year. It was always like that for her. There was always next year.

Weiss and Ruby carefully picked their way through the wreck. They were now first and second with no serious competition. The pair came in for their final pit stops. Weiss came out just ahead. Arslan, the only other car left on the lead lap, was third but she had not shown enough speed to keep up with the top group. It would not matter as a transmission issue would take her out of the race a few laps later anyway. As the race went back to green Weiss and Ruby pulled away from the pack. As the laps wore on, Weiss began to slowly pull away. She had been saving her equipment to ensure she made it to the finish. Now it was go time. Ruby gave it everything she had. She pushed the engine to its limits and took the corners as fast as she dared, but Weiss kept pulling away. Lap after lap Weiss was always just the little bit faster.

Weiss crossed the line as the flagman waved the white flag. One lap to go. Ruby was still close enough behind to be visible in her mirrors, but the lead was comfortable. Weiss swept through the first turn, the South Chute and turn 2, accelerating out onto the backstretch. She was going to win. She would join Winter and Pyrrha as winners of the Vacuo 500. Ever since her sister had taken the victory all those years ago Weiss had wanted to match her. Now she was going to do it. Weiss entered turn 3. There was a lapped car just a little ahead. Ruby was close enough that Weiss would probably have to pass it or risk losing the race. The lapped car pulled left in the North Chute to let Weiss pass on the right. Weiss did not quite complete the pass before the corner but left plenty of room to avoid contact.

Something was wrong. Weiss' car was not turning like it should. Suddenly it was like she was on ice. She got out of the gas as the car slid up the track but it was hopeless. All that remained was the sickening smack as it slapped the wall. She had made a stupid, rookie mistake, getting up out of the groove and into the rolled-up rubber and debris called 'the marbles.' Then she had lost all grip and missed the corner. The right side of her car was crushed. Still she held the throttle down, grinding along the wall in a desperate attempt to make it to the line. Ruby flashed by and all was lost. Weiss gave up and let her car slide to a depressing stop within sight of the checkered flag.

The flagman waved a pair of checkered flags in a criss-cross pattern as Ruby drove across the line. She had tears in her eyes. Never in a million years had she expected to ever run the Vacuo 500, let alone win it in her first try. As she slowly rounded the track to the wild cheering of the fans it felt like a dream. She was pretty sure it was and she did not want to wake up. After rounding the circuit she ducked onto pit road and was directed toward the winner's circle. Her team was already there, Taiyang having carried the injured Yang all the way, followed by Penny, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Blake, Ozpin and Qrow. She took off her helmet and balaclava, tears streaming down her face.

Weiss was crying too. She sat in her wrecked car, inconsolable. The win was hers and she had thrown it away. It was no one's fault but her own. Her entire life she had been compared to her sister. A win today would have gone a long way toward making those comparisons positive instead of negative, but her blunder would only drive home her inferiority. She alternated between crying and pounding her fists on the steering wheel. The track workers were too afraid to get anywhere near her. Eventually her logic took over. This was not her, an exploding ball of unchecked emotion. That was Yang. She was the calm, clinical one. Freaking out would not change the result. It would only make her look worse. She calmed herself, took off her helmet and balaclava, and made her way to the winner's circle to join her team.

As Ruby stood in her seat a wreath was placed around her shoulders and a glass bottle full of milk thrust into her hands. She took a long chug from the bottle before passing it to Yang. Each team member got a small sip, Weiss arriving just in time to get the last of it. The trophy, in use for decades and featuring the faces and names of every winner, was wheeled in. Ruby was given a plaque featuring a small replica. The celebrations turned into a circus as Yang, who had been acting strangely in Ruby's estimation, grabbed Pyrrha and kissed her on the lips. Pyrrha looked shocked and embarrassed, struggling and pushing Yang away. Then Penny approached Ruby and started to say something barely coherent but Pyrrha quickly grabbed her and dragged her away. Crying like a baby Taiyang hugged Ruby and refused to let go until Qrow physically pried them apart.

"That's the last time I share my booze with them." Qrow laughed. Ruby hugged him. "I knew you had it in you kiddo."

"I'm so happy for you." Yang said, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"You ran a good race." Weiss sighed, forcing a smile. "Congratulations." She looked profoundly depressed and certainly was.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of." Ruby said. She grabbed Weiss' arm and pulled her up into the car with her before adjusting the wreath so it was around both their shoulders. "You were amazing."

Penny and Pyrrha returned. "I am very happy for you Ruby." Penny said. "I'm glad I came."

"Thank you so much." Ruby said. "None of this would have been possible without your work." Penny smiled widely at the compliment.

"You're a great driver, just like your sister." Pyrrha said.

"What was all that about with Yang and Penny?" Ruby asked.

"They've had a bit too much to drink." Pyrrha said. "Your uncle is a bad influence."

"Yeah, I know." Qrow admitted with a laugh.

"I'm so glad all of you could be here." Ruby said. "This is the best day of my life!"

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The Grand Patch Vacuo Circuit is based on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit.

\- Ruby's tendency to vomit before a race is based on F1 World Champion Phil Hill who threw up routinely before getting in the car. Before a race he was a ball of nerves, but after throwing up and getting in the seat, he was totally focused and incredibly fast. Few drivers shaded his incredibly technical savvy, another connection to Ruby's character.

\- Tawny Huntsman is a play on the name of then speedway president Tony Hulman.

\- Pyrrha's crash is vaguely based on Billy Boat's 2003 practice crash at the Speedway.

\- The finish of the race is based on the 2011 500, in which the lapped car of Charlie Kimball effectively ruined the career of J. R. Hildebrand. Charlie, probably low on blood sugar or maybe just a jackass, didn't even attempt to allow the leader through though. There's nothing I hate more than lapped cars interfering with the race for the win, as I had some very bad experiences back when I was a professional sim racer.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Adding "Ladies" to "Gentleman Start Your Engines" was not done until Janet Guthrie qualified for the 500 in 1977. Even then there was an argument made that the gentlemen being referred to were the mechanics who actually started the engines, so she had a female crew member do it to force the change.

\- There was no first-corner crash in the '71 500, but the pace car did crash badly on its way down pit road.

\- The use of NASCAR crews in the Indianapolis 500 had become a thing of the past by '71, but they were still the fastest in the world.

\- Racing drivers getting into drunken shenanigans was a common thing, but usually not until the parties well after the race.


	8. GP of Menagerie

Chapter 8

 _One Month Ago - The Day After The Vacuo 500_

Yang woke up with a splitting headache. It was so bad she could almost forget about her chest injuries. The morning sun shined in through a gap in the hotel window drapes, casting a blinding beam of light directly into her already sensitive eyes. Hangovers sucked and it had been a long time since she had one. She was usually smart enough to hydrate adequately when drinking, but she had apparently been too far gone. She had been drunk enough to fall asleep in the uniform she had worn to the race. It smelled of rubber and methanol - the scent of the Vacuo Motor Speedway - with a hint of another sort of alcohol mixed in.

Yang stumbled into the bathroom, flipped on the lights and took a look at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were bloodshot, the very definition of beauty. The previous day had been a whirlwind. She remembered Pyrrha crashing, May crashing, Weiss crashing and Ruby winning. There was a party at some point that night. Everything else was a blur. Something told her she had to apologize for a few things, but she could not remember for what or to whom. Someone would surely remind her. Hopefully there were not pictures.

After a quick shower Yang dressed and headed out. Her first stop was the next room over, her father's. She should probably apologize for getting wasted in his presence. She knocked on the door. She could hear some stumbling around inside and after a few seconds Taiyang opened up. He looked just as bad as she had, with the added problem of being in desperate need of a shave. "Hey, sorry I got so drunk yesterday." Taiyang said before Yang could say anything. "I was so nervous for Ruby. That shit Qrow drinks is stronger than I expected too. I hope I didn't do anything too embarrassing."

"I was actually here to apologize to you." Yang said. "I don't remember much about yesterday beyond getting drunk. And you're right about Qrow's booze. It's like he drinks pure alcohol. I feel like I should be apologizing to someone for something, but I guess not you."

"I kind of remember you, Penny and Pyrrha arguing about something." Taiyang suggested. "You're probably looking for one of them."

"That sounds about right." Yang said. She tried to think back but was no closer to remembering anything. In the past she had never gotten so drunk as to forget large chunks of time, but here she was. It was frustrating. She headed down to the hotel lobby. Everyone was supposed to meet there shortly before heading over to the track for the official winner's photos. That and meeting with the press would take most of the day, and then they would go to the banquet where Ruby and the team would officially receive their trophies.

In the lobby Penny and Pyrrha were sitting in adjacent chairs. Penny was hunched over looking sick and Pyrrha was gently rubbing her back. Yang sat beside Pyrrha. "I see you handle a hangover better than she does." Pyrrha said.

"I am never drinking again." Penny groaned.

"You look surprisingly fresh Pyrrha." Yang said.

"Well, I didn't drink." Pyrrha said. "You two on the other hand…"

"About that, I wanted to apologize." Yang said. "I don't really remember what happened, but I feel like I should be apologizing to someone."

"You're not wrong." Pyrrha confirmed. "Apology accepted."

"I guess I did something huh?" Yang asked. "Do you mind filling me in?"

"I'd rather not." Pyrrha replied.

"Please." Yang said. "I'd rather hear it from you."

"Fine." Pyrrha sighed. "After my crash you were very...affectionate. You kept grabbing my arm and staring at me."

"Did I?" Yang said with an uneasy laugh. "Sorry."

"Then in the winner's circle you tried to make out with me." Pyrrha continued. "I had to physically push you away. The whole thing made me very uncomfortable."

"Oh, wow, I'm really sorry." Yang said. Even she was shocked by her own behavior. "I hope this doesn't make things too awkward. I don't want to lose a great friend over this."

"Don't worry about it." Pyrrha said. "You weren't the only one. Penny tried to propose to your sister."

"I was very drunk." Penny said.

"It sounds like you had a tough time wrangling the drunks." Yang said. "I guess we owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything." Pyrrha said. "I'm just glad things didn't get more out of hand. In the future, try to watch your alcohol intake."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Yang said. "I should probably stay off the hard stuff too. I don't know how Qrow drinks so much of it and doesn't...well...die of alcohol poisoning."

"I've built up one hell of a tolerance." Qrow said, suddenly appearing behind them. "You lovebirds were really cute yesterday."

Pyrrha's face turned bright red with embarrassment. Penny just shook her head. "Uncle Qrow, don't make me punch you." Yang warned.

"Alright, alright, I'm just kidding." Qrow laughed. "There's no need to get violent. I've got enough people wanting to beat me up without adding you to the list."

* * *

 _Present Day_

It was once again time for the Menagerie Grand Prix, still held at the same track it had been since the race's inception. There was a lot going on, and not all of the action was on track. The week after the Vacuo 500 Pyrrha, Yang and Weiss had visited the Emerald Forest Circuit. The promised upgrades were well on their way to completion and it was announced that assuming the work went ahead as planned, the grand prix would indeed be held there. The drivers were not particularly happy about that, but at least the insanely dangerous track would be slightly less so.

There were other changes on the safety front. Yang's proposal for an official series doctor had been accepted by the drivers and the governing body. Winter's personal physician, Dr. Glenn, was named Formula 1's official doctor. The medical centers and medical response teams at every race would be under his command, and all drivers would need to be certified healthy before racing again in the event of a crash. As predicted, Yang was the first victim of the new policy. Dr. Glenn refused to allow her to race at Menagerie. She was mostly healed, but given her recent re-injury, Dr. Glenn was not taking chances. She would have to wait for the Vytal GP to make her return.

The complicated relationship between the people of Menagerie and the Schnees went on. Winter and the Schnee Automotive team were the target of boos, protests and occasional threats during their brief time on the island. That was hardly surprising. What was surprising was the treatment of Weiss. She had once been as much a target as her older sister, but opinions were changing. Part of that had to do with Weiss herself. She avoided any association with Schnee Automotive while also publically criticizing her father and his company. Part of the shift was also down to Blake. Though not a driver, she was the most successful Faunus in F1 and as such she was a hero to many in Menagerie. When she said Weiss deserved to be treated with respect - that she was not her father, that she was not their enemy - people listened. Her last name meant they would never love her, but at least most ceased to hate her. Toleration was better than nothing.

On track the big news came in the form of a series of driver changes. Ciel was out at Schnee. She was too slow and Mr. Schnee was always on the lookout for a replacement. He chose May Zedong, the year's most promising rookie. May was replaced at Bronze Car Company Roy Stallion. Since she would be sitting out with her injury, Yang would need a substitute as well. The choice was obvious and no one was surprised when her sister Ruby was named her replacement for the Menagerie GP. She had roughly as much F3 and F2 experience as Yang had had when she debuted in F1, with the added bonus of being the Vacuo 500 champion.

* * *

As one might expect, Ruby's first practice session saw some slow times. She had to get used to the car. Up at the sharp end of the field Weiss, Winter and Pyrrha battled it out. May, getting used to a new car, was not far behind but noticeably off the pace. Sun was always fast at Menagerie and this year was no exception. He ran fifth, posting times similar to May's. Coco, Emerald, Mercury, Fox and Neptune completed the top 10. Ruby finished up the first practice twelfth. There was some good news though. She was already comfortable in the car. It was a totally different experience to driving a Champ Car, but it some ways it was easier. The F1 car had much more grip and less power, making it much easier to driver. Learning the track was the real trouble spot, but Ruby would get the hang of it once she put some laps in.

Get the hang of it she did. Ruby finished the second practice in sixth. Winter was fastest, followed by Weiss, Pyrrha, May and Sun. There was still a decent gap between May and the top three, but it was closing. The final practice saw more improvement from Ruby and May. Ruby jumped Sun into fifth and May placed fourth, just behind Pyrrha. Winter and Weiss again took the top two spots. Menagerie was a power track, and it was becoming clear that the Schnee machines were power cars. With even more fast tracks later in the season, the field had reason to be worried.

Between the final practice and qualifying there was a brief but intense rain shower. The track was soaked but the sun came out about a half hour before the hour long time trial session. The conditions were still damp, and with no further rain forecast, most of the drivers stayed in the garage and waited for the track to dry out. The only frontrunner to go out on track was Ruby who needed all the laps she could get. With the session three quarters over, the track was finally sufficiently dry for everyone else. The mad scramble to put in a good lap in what was effectively a shortened session produced some interesting anomalies. In the closing moments Weiss was first, followed by Pyrrha, May, Ruby, Sun, Winter, Arslan, Coco, Sage and Reese.

The heavy hitters went out for one final run. Weiss knew Winter was lurking and that she could not count on her time standing up. She rounded the final turn, Forest, and blasted onto the frontstretch. It was a nearly flat-out turn and her engine screamed as she crossed the line to begin her lap. Weiss braked hard for the first turn, Wildman. She coasted through the banked right-hand hairpin then hit the throttle hard on exit. The car raced uphill toward the second corner, Faunus, a tricky right-hander at the crest of a hill. The car got light as she hit the apex, regaining control just in time to brake hard for the immediate left-hand hairpin, Founder's Corner. Even slower than the first turn, Weiss was careful not to spin the tires on exit as she headed into the faster part of the track.

After a crest the track drifted right, left and right again as it cut its way through the dunes. Weiss got on the brakes for the last time until Forest, slowing for the right-hand sweeper called Disconnect. She was back on the throttle almost immediately, getting a good run off and heading for the Dog-Leg, a flat-out left-hand kink. The car oversteered slightly but Weiss held it, drifting to the left side of the circuit to line up for her entry into the flat-out triple right-hander, East Tunnel. She hit the trio of apexes perfectly and was on her way toward Forest. On entry she touched the brakes ever so slightly, then coasted. She had to be patient. At just the right moment she hit the gas and the car leapt off the turn, tires screeching in protest as she pushed them to the very edge of traction. Weiss rocketed down the frontstretch and across the line to complete her lap.

Weiss was to be disappointed. Winter's final lap was faster than hers by fractions of a second. Pyrrha slipped into third just ahead of Ruby, followed closely by May and Sun. Coco, Arslan, Emerald and Reese rounded out the top ten. The people of Menagerie were confronted by an all-Schnee front row. Winter and Weiss were both winners at the track, and Weiss was not as hated as she had been, but it was still a disappointment to the locals. They wanted to see Sun up front, or at least a car powered by Blake's engines. They got a Schnee in a Schnee car on pole. It had been five years since that last happened but it was too soon all the same.

* * *

Race day was wet, very wet. It started raining about an hour before the cars rolled onto the grid and it just kept pouring. High winds added to the misery. In some places large puddles of standing water formed, particularly in Founder's Corner which was under about an inch of water. The inside line of Wildman was waterlogged as well. Out in the dunes it was no better with water running across the track in substantial rivulets. It would be insane to race in those conditions. Then again, sanity was never a big deal in F1.

Once out on the grid, most of the drivers sat in their cars with umbrellas shielding them from the rain. Ruby got out. She walked to the edge of the circuit, lifted her helmet and balaclava, and vomited. After that she felt much better. She was still nervous though. Her first F1 race was also going to be her first race in the rain. She was thankful to have run some laps in damp conditions the day before, but that was nothing compared to what she faced today. She had never seen a track in such terrible condition. In some places the rain had even washed sand onto the course as the dunes gave way under the watery onslaught. She did her best to memorize every puddle, every rivulet, every wash-out. She would again on the parade lap.

The cars rolled around for the parade lap before lining up on the grid for the start. The starter raised his soaked flag. After a much shorter than normal wait - apparently the flagman did not want to be out in the rain either - the flag dropped and the race was underway. Winter and Weiss got almost identical starts from the front row, but though she had the preferred line, Weiss was forced to yield. The massive puddle on the inside of the first corner was not navigable, so Weiss slipped in line behind Winter as the pair drove around the outside of it. For a start in such appalling conditions, the drivers were surprisingly well behaved. There was no turn 1 calamity, and the first lap went off clean with Winter leading Weiss, Pyrrha, May and Ruby. Ruby had been forced to slow to avoid the first corner puddle, and had not been able to get in line until May was ahead of her.

Lap 5 saw a dramatic turn of events. Jaune followed Cardin down the frontstretch, their cars approaching top speed. There was a spin in front of them as Fox and Mercury made contact on entry to the first turn. Cardin slowed abruptly. Jaune ducked right to avoid contact and ran straight into a puddle, hydroplaning all the way to the corner. Somehow he missed the other competitors as his car sailed straight off the corner. The banking caused Jaune's car to become airborne briefly. It landed in the sand just before slamming head-on into the armco at well over 100 mph.

Track workers rushed to Jaune's car. He remained inside, conscious and groaning in pain. He was pretty sure his legs were broken. As carefully as they could the workers extracted Jaune from the wreck. They carried him over the barrier before laying him down in the sand. His right leg was bent at a sickening angle, clearly broken somewhere below the knee. After a few minutes Dr. Glenn arrived with the medical team. He determined that both of Jaune's legs were broken, even if the left's break was less obvious. Rather than sending him to the medical center, he ordered Jaune loaded into an ambulance and taken directly to the hospital.

All the while the race went on. Winter did not have the speed in the wet that she had shown in dry conditions. On lap 11 Weiss swept to her right as they tore down the frontstretch, outbraking her sister as they entered the first turn to take the lead. Pyrrha was right there too, and on lap 17 she made an almost identical move to take second. The Schnee cars in general did not seem well suited to the conditions. Ruby followed May around for the opening part of the race. On lap 22 as the cars entered Disconnect, Ruby pulled left and drove up along the outside of May's car. They drag raced off the corner but May had to yield once they reached the Dog-Leg. Yielding the position as she did further slowed May, and Sun swept around her as they entered East Tunnel.

Pyrrha closed in on Weiss. She was obviously faster. Weiss could do just enough to stay ahead but not much more. On lap 37 Pyrrha made her move. She looked right as the cars thundered down the frontstretch. Weiss blocked the move and Pyrrha shot left. Weiss moved to block that move as well and it was nearly a catastrophe. Weiss' left rear just clipped the right-front wing on Pyrrha's car. The wing snapped and flew off as Pyrrha slammed on the brakes to prevent a bigger accident. Somehow Weiss' tire had not been cut by the contact, but Pyrrha's aerodynamics were compromised in conditions when she needed them most. Pyrrha steadily began to fall back, struggling to keep going with the reduced downforce. Luckily she had a big gap back to Winter.

May's race ended on lap 38 when her engine failed on exit at Founder's Corner. Her car ground to a halt in a cloud of smoke. Further back Coco had also suffered a mechanical failure, hers a collapsed suspension that luckily occurred in Faunus and not a faster corner. Arslan fell out with tire failure that sent her sliding out into the dunes before Disconnect. Toward the back the attrition was just as heavy and few cars were left running by lap 50 of 55.

On that lap Sun caught Ruby. Ruby knew there was more speed in the car but she could not find it. Ruby got to looking in her mirrors and running defensive lines to keep Sun at bay. On lap 53 it almost led to disaster. Ruby checked her mirrors before the cars entered Forest to see if Sun was going to try to pass. He made a little move to the right and Ruby matched it. When she looked up she realized she was off-line for the corner. She hit a rivulet and the car began to slide. Sun zipped past on the right as Ruby struggled to hang on. At the outside edge of the track she somehow managed to arrest the skid and regain control.

At about the same time Winter caught up to Pyrrha. Pyrrha knew she could not hold the position with her crippled car and let Winter go. Unfortunately, Pyrrha's issues were mounting. The engine was starting misfire so she was unable to be fast in the turns or on the straights. Staying ahead of Sun was going to be close. She could see Sun in her mirrors as she rounded Forest for the final time. She hit the throttle on exit but nothing happened. Sun swept around on the left just as Pyrrha's engine kicked back in, providing her with enough power to cross the line fourth. Ruby came home in fifth. Reese took the final points paying position. Emerald, Fox, Dew, and Sage rounded out to top 10.

The people of Menagerie were treated to a Schnee 1-2. They had to listen as the Atlesian national anthem was played for Weiss. Still, there was some cheering. At least Winter had not won. Sun occupied the third step on the podium. He always seemed to do well in Menagerie. Beacon GP sent Blake as the team representative to accept that trophy and she got a wild round of applause. Ruby was very happy to finish fifth. She had not expected to score on debut, her only goal being to finish the race. The celebrations were a bit subdued. Jaune was injured seriously. It was not life-threatening, but two broken legs were not insignificant injuries.

In the hospital Jaune decided to call it a career. He had never been fast or shown any of the talent expected of an F1 driver, but at least he had never gotten hurt. Now that this was no longer the case, he could not justify racing any longer. Team Juniper could keep the money he had paid for the seat, but he would no longer fill it.

* * *

Weiss was just about to board a plane to Vale when she received a message. Ozpin was on the phone and needed to speak to her. She picked up the phone at the gate. "I need you to come to the hospital." Ozpin said. "You know the one. We're having a meeting in Jaune's hospital room and require your presence."

"Who's we?" Weiss asked.

"Just get here as fast as you can." Ozpin said.

The next race was in just two weeks and Weiss had planned to spend them relaxing at her posh apartment near the Vale GP course. She wanted to get there as soon as possible. Now she would have to wait at least another day. "Fine." She sighed before abruptly hanging up.

* * *

Weiss arrived at the hospital and was directed to Jaune's room. Ozpin, Glynda, Pyrrha, Ruby and Yang were there. "What's this about?" Weiss asked. "I want to go home."

"Jaune has decided to retire." Glynda said. "That means his seat is vacant."

"Yang's coming back for the next race, so Ruby will be available." Weiss said.

"It would be a conflict of interest for Ruby to race against a car she designed." Ozpin said. "Right now we have a deal on the table, and all we need is your agreement."

"What deal?" Weiss asked.

"You would move to Team Juniper and drive the #2." Ozpin replied. "Ruby will take over the #4, at least for the remainder of the season."

"So I get to drive for the defending champions with Pyrrha as my teammate?" Weiss asked. Glynda and Ozpin nodded. "Deal."

"I told you she'd do it." Yang said.

"On one condition." Weiss said.

"Name it." Glynda said.

"I will drive the #2 car, but I will not be a #2 driver." Weiss said. "I expect to receive the same treatment as Pyrrha."

"Of course." Glynda agreed. "You're both champions and deserve to be treated as such."

"I didn't agree to this." Pyrrha cut in.

"Do you object to having Weiss as your teammate?" Glynda asked.

"No." Pyrrha said. "On one condition."

"Name it." Glynda said.

"I want an apology for knocking my wing off." Pyrrha said. "That was a dangerous block and it almost took us both out."

"I'm sorry for blocking so aggressively." Weiss said.

"Apology accepted." Pyrrha said. She and Weiss shook hands.

"Then if there are no further objections…" Ozpin said.

"Are you sure you want me to drive?" Ruby asked. "I still don't think it's a good idea."

"You're right, it's not a good idea." Yang said. "It's a great idea! I can't believe my baby sister's going to be my teammate! It'll be awesome!"

"I know you're nervous." Ozpin said. "But we all believe in you. You'll make a fine grand prix driver."

"I hope you're right." Ruby said. "I'd hate to let everyone down."

"Ruby, you could never let me down." Yang said. "You can do it. I know you can."

* * *

Standings after four races:

1st - Yang Xiao-Long - 21

2nd - Weiss Schnee - 19

3rd - Pyrrha Nikos - 18

4th - Winter Schnee - 13

5th - May Zedong - 10

6th - Sun Wukong - 8

7th - Arslan Atlan - 4

8th - Coco Adel - 2

8th - Ruby Rose - 2

10th - Fox Alistair - 1

10th - Reese Chloris - 1

10th - Neptune Vasilias - 1

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Menagerie is a stand-in for the Netherlands and the track is based on Zandvoort.

\- The people of Menagerie's reaction to Schnee dominance is a bit like my reaction to Kyle Busch running lower division NASCAR races. For someone like that to step down to beat up on the little guys so often is disheartening to say the least. If he would cut out the ego trip and just run Cup races, or only a few Xfinity and Truck races, that would be fine, but he runs just about every damn race and I'm very sick of seeing him win. It would be a bit like if Michael Schumacher ran F3 races every weekend while he was in his prime.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Mid-season driver changes were uncommon at the time except in the event of death or injury, particularly at the larger teams. Ferrari, on which the Schnee team is loosely based, did have a habit of trying to secure any promising talent while repeatedly hiring and firing the same few steady if unspectacular drivers.

\- At 21 Ruby would probably be too young to be considered for an F1 seat in this era.

\- The 1971 Dutch GP was run in the rain but the conditions were not as extreme as described.

\- Driver swaps like the one described at the end of the chapter were just about unheard of at the time.


	9. Vytal GP

Chapter 9

 _Three Years Ago_

Schnee Automotive was in the midst of another bad year. With Penny's departure their engine program had imploded. They went from having the most powerful engines on the grid by a wide margin to being only as good as the competition. Worse, just to get to that point reliability was sacrificed and the team was lucky to get one car to the finish in any race. Winter was frustrated and angry. It looked like she might even leave the team. Given the overall state of things, that would be a deathblow.

Things were bad in sports cars too. At the previous year's 24 Hours of Vytal Winter had not participated. In her absence, all three Schnee Automotive entries fell out with mechanical failures. Nevermore won again, but with entirely different drivers. Their winning car was piloted by Champ Car driver May Zedong and sports car ace Dew Gayl. Their other car finished second with Sun and Neptune behind the wheel. Even before the Schnee cars had broken, the Nevermores were much faster. Improved engines meant they had overtaken Schnee Automotive and no longer needed to play games to secure victory.

Winter wanted to win the 24 Hours of Vytal. That was no secret. She had been so close so many times but something always went wrong. She decided to give it one last go, but not with Schnee Automotive. Paired up with Pyrrha, she would drive a Nevermore against her father's team, and with her father's blessing. She made it clear that it was the only way she would keep driving for Schnee Automotive in F1. There was really no choice other than to let her drive the Nevermore.

Pyrrha and Winter put their car on pole after dominating the practice sessions. Winter started the race with the same casual stroll she had two years previous. She was in the lead by the third lap anyway. After that it was academic. The Nevermore was fast and virtually bulletproof. Winter and Pyrrha pulled away, lap after lap, shift after shift. It was a slaughter. Arguably the two best drivers in the best car produced the expected result, but the scale of their domination was still shocking. They won by what amounted to an hour of running time.

Winter finally had her victory. She had accomplished pretty much all there was to accomplish in motorsports with the exception of a few stock car achievements she did not even attempt. Pyrrha got closer to doing the same. The following year she would win the Vacuo 500 and her second World Championship. With that done Winter and Pyrrha were far and away the most accomplished drivers of their generation, perhaps of all time.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The Vytal Grand Prix was not being held at the endurance circuit. It had not been in the previous four years either. After alternating between a pair of public road circuits, the race moved to the Amity Circuit, a state-of-the-art, purpose-built race track in the south of the island. It sat in the foothills of Vytal's world-famous wine producing region. When F1 arrived in midsummer, it was warm and sunny, with good weather forecast for the entirety of the race weekend. After the washout in Menagerie, the drivers were grateful.

Yang was back in her car, the silver #3 for Beacon GP. Ruby shifted over to the #4. Vytal would be her first race as a full-time grand prix driver. Weiss would start her first race for Team Juniper in the blue #2, alongside Pyrrha in her #1. Pyrrha had not had a competent teammate since she won the F2 championship six years prior. Having a former champion on her team would surely take some getting used to. For Weiss the car would take some getting used to. She had driven cars designed by Ruby for the entirety of her F1 career. Team Juniper created aerodynamic marvels, but there were questions about the quality of the chassis. At least the engines would be the same.

* * *

Different drivers had different agendas as practice got underway. Yang was trying to get comfortable after being out of a race car for over a month. Her ribs were still a bit sore but she was really healthy for the first time since Mistral. Ruby wanted to show she belonged. She still doubted her capacity to drive a grand prix car but felt the pressure to succeed. Pyrrha had nothing to prove. She knew she would be faster than her new teammate simply because she knew the car better. Weiss wanted to show Pyrrha she was closer than Pyrrha expected. She was in the #2 car but would not accept being the #2 driver. At the first big power track of the season Winter wanted to show that the Schnee Automotive cars were real competitors. They had experienced some lean years but Winter was confident that they were back in the game. May was in a similar situation to Ruby. She wanted to prove that she could live up to the hype and that her hiring by the Schnee team had not been a mistake.

Yang got off to a great start, leading the first session from Winter and Pyrrha. They were followed by Weiss, Ruby and May who were all very close to one another. In the second practice Pyrrha jumped to the lead with the rest of the top six remaining the same. The final practice produced a more chaotic order. Winter was first from Pyrrha and Yang. They were followed by May and Weiss. After that were Sun and Neptune, both ahead of Ruby who was trailed by Coco, Reese and Arslan.

Ruby felt terribly discouraged. She had not gone slower in the final practice, but she had not gained any time. All the drivers around her got faster but she seemed to have reached her limit. Given how fast Yang was, Ruby's limit and the car's limit were clearly quite different. Weiss was not happy either. She had been a bit concerned about the quality of the Juniper chassis and it turned out the situation was much worse than anticipated. The aerodynamics of the car were magnificent, but mechanical grip was lacking and any slight disruptions to air flow ruined the handling. Weiss gained a new appreciation for Pyrrha's skill but had to wonder if she had made a very poor career choice. In the two hours between the final practice and the start of qualifying, both drivers would have to get things sorted out.

* * *

Yang sat in a folding chair beside her car as the mechanics worked to prep it for time trials. Ruby slid another chair over and sat beside her. "I don't think I can do it." Ruby admitted.

"Ruby, don't say that, you're doing fine." Yang assured her. "You just need more time."

"Time is the problem." Ruby said. "I'm not getting any faster. I just can't bring myself to push the car any harder."

"The more you drive, the better it will get." Yang said. "I didn't start my career driving at the limit lap after lap, getting everything out of the car."

"You won your first F2 race." Ruby reminded her.

"Yeah, after a whole year of F3 in an almost identical car." Yang countered. "You ran like five F3 races, two F2 races and the Vacuo 500. That's not exactly a wealth of experience. You just need to get comfortable with the car."

"What if I never get comfortable with the car?" Ruby asked.

"I think you will." Yang said. "But if you don't it's not the end of the world. It would be for most drivers, but most drivers can't build their own car. One of the reasons you were fast in Vacuo was because you designed and developed the car from the driver's seat. You built a car that was fast and that you were comfortable driving. There's no reason you can't do that now. Even in F3 and F2 you built your own cars specifically for you. Now you're driving a car designed for me and Weiss. Make the car comfortable for you."

"I'm not sure being comfortable will be enough." Ruby sighed. "I'm just...afraid to go too fast. I want to drive on the limit, but if I go over it…"

"You know as well as I do that we're all afraid." Yang said. "I get into that car every race without being sure I'll ever get out. At some point something in your head is going to click and you'll forget all about the fear. Were you afraid in Vacuo?"

"Terrified." Ruby replied.

"And you won that race." Yang said. "You had some help, but you were still looking at a great finish if the others hadn't dropped out."

"At that track all the turns are pretty much the same." Ruby said. "If you run a few laps it's really easy to find the limit. Here every turn is different. It would take forever. Even last week was easier with most of the track being flat-out."

"You're oversimplifying it." Yang said. "You had to deal with tire wear, changes in weight and balance as the fuel burned off, changing track conditions and other drivers. Even a track like that isn't easy when you factor in all the variables. I think the real problem is that you don't believe in yourself. If you just believe you can do it and stop worrying it'll be a lot easier."

"You say that like I can just flip a switch in my head." Ruby said.

"This is a mental game just as much as a physical one." Yang said. "You'll never be comfortable in the car if you're not comfortable with yourself. I believe in you. Ozpin believes in you. Everyone that matters believes in you. Once you start believing in yourself, I'm sure you'll be fast."

* * *

Weiss had originally been using a setup that was basically identical to Pyrrha's. After the final practice she demanded wholesale changes to her car. Weiss had found Yang's setups too oversteer-heavy while at Beacon GP and Pyrrha's setup was even worse. She also had an eye for detail and remembered how things had worked at Beacon GP. It was obviously never going to be the same with another team, but if she could get things to be more similar, she might just go faster. She also had some bigger changes in mind for the next race. The current suspension arrangement was not going to cut it. Even if it made the car heavier or lowered the aerodynamic downforce, there were changes that had to be made if Weiss was going to be successful. She was not going to rest until she was happy with the car.

* * *

Qualifying got off to a predictable start. Yang was fastest followed by Winter and Pyrrha as the end of the session approached. Behind was a chaotic jumble of very close times. Weiss, May, Sun, Ruby, Coco, Neptune, Reese and Arslan were all within a second of one another. Ruby was an interesting case. She had run more laps than anyone else and she was finally getting just that little bit faster. She also spun out a lot. There were a bunch of slides into the grass as well. If her fragile qualifying engine could hold out for another few laps and she managed to keep her car on the circuit, she might just have something.

There was only enough time for one more lap. Yang knew Winter and Pyrrha would go faster, so she had to go faster as well. She slowed more than usual on entry to the last corner, a tight, square right-hander called Bridge Bend. She took an abnormal line to get the best possible launch off the corner and onto the frontstretch. The frontstretch at the Amity Circuit was quite long and Yang approached the car's top speed by the time she braked for Canopy, a fast and sweeping left-right complex. After that it was a short blast into the tightest corner on the track, The Chicane. Yang slowed her car to a crawl for the series of square corners, right-left-right. That was followed by Saint, an unwinding right-hand sweeper that terminated in a flat-out left-hand kink called The School. Yang slid her car out of The School and onto the Mistral Straight, the track's longest. Her engine screamed, pushing maximum RPM's as her car roared along. Then it was on the brakes hard for a right-hand sweeper, Signs. Yang drifted her car around the corner, the tires screaming in protest as she pushed them to the limit of traction. Then after a short straight she was back on the brakes for the long, sweeping right-hander called Beauty. The corner seemed to go on forever. Yang gave the car just a little throttle to keep the speed up until it was finally time to give it everything for the short run to The Carousel, a long, tight left-hander. Immediately on exit Yang accelerated into the sweeping right-hand Village before braking hard again for the tight left-hand Tower. From the start of The Carousel to the exit of Tower, there was no straight track. From Tower there was only a short straight before Bridge Bend. Yang hit the apex and accelerated onto the frontstretch, roaring across the line to complete her lap.

Yang was faster than she had been, but not fast enough. With its pair of long straights the track played to Schnee Automotive's strengths and Winter put her car on pole. Yang held on for second, followed by Pyrrha, May, Weiss and Ruby. Ruby had finally put a complete lap together and it was rather competitive. She could be proud of the result. Even if she was the slowest of the fast runners, at least she was in the same class. Behind her Sun, Neptune, Coco and Reese rounded out the top 10.

* * *

As forecast, race day was warm and sunny. Ruby got her usual pre-race vomit out of the way before heading to the grid and this time was able to hold onto the contents of her stomach until the cars rolled for their parade lap. She was feeling abnormally confident. Her fear earlier in the weekend had been that she would get hurt trying to find the limit. In qualifying she had found it, run on its ragged edge, and come home alive. If she just cleaned up the little details she would be as fast as anyone.

After their parade lap, the cars lined up on the grid for the start. The starter raised his flag and the drivers revved their engines. After a few seconds the flag dropped and the race was underway. On the front row Winter and Yang got good starts but as the straightaway went on Winter's superior engine pulled her ahead. Pyrrha tucked in behind Yang with May behind her. Weiss had not gotten a good start. Ruby managed to get beside her as the pair thundered down into Canopy. Ruby was on the inside line, but Weiss was still slightly ahead. Ruby backed out early and yielded the corner.

Neptune, fighting side-by-side with his teammate, had not anticipated that Ruby would give up the spot. She slowed earlier than he was expecting. He braked hard, locking up the front wheels. Just as Ruby turned into the corner Neptune's left-front slammed into her right-rear, destroying the suspensions on both cars. Coco was forced wide by the spinning cars, got into the grass and slapped the armco. All three cars were out. Most drivers in Ruby's position would have been angry, but it was not in her nature. She stepped out of the car, listened to Neptune's apology, then just walked away. She was just sad. She had had such high hopes for the race after finding some confidence, and they had been dashed immediately.

At the front Winter began to pull steadily away from the rest of the field. The real battle was for second between Yang and Pyrrha. On lap 7 Pyrrha got a good run out of The School and passed Yang just before the halfway point of the Mistral Straight. Yang tucked in behind Pyrrha's car and, using the draft, got a run and pulled along her right side just before Signs, retaking the position when Pyrrha was forced to concede the corner. The tight series of corners that followed offered no real opportunity to pass so Pyrrha fell in line and waited for her chance.

Weiss and May had a good race going as well. A slip in the early laps had allowed Weiss to get around May but now she was just holding her up. Weiss' car was much faster in the corners but May had the advantage down the track's two long straightaways. Weiss would pull just enough of a gap through every twisting section to keep in front of May when they arrived at the faster parts of the track. On lap 22 Weiss finally made the slip-up that May needed. Weiss spun the tires ever-so-slightly as she exited Saint. It slowed her through The School and May was close by the time they reached the Mistral Straight. May tucked in behind Weiss' car the popped out to the right just before she would have made contact. The slingshot move stuck and May shot out ahead of Weiss. Through Signs and the tight corners that followed Weiss was able to close back in, but when they reached the frontstretch May drove away.

Yang and Pyrrha were still battling for a distant second on lap 39. Pyrrha followed Yang down the frontstretch. Waiting until the last moment, she dove left on entry to Canopy. It was too late to block and going through the corner side-by-side was ill-advised, so Yang had to yield. As soon as she was ahead of Yang, Pyrrha began to pull away. She was not faster than Winter though, and the lead remained a huge one.

Yang was exhausted and in pain. After over a month out of the car her body was simply not up to the demands of running a long race in such hot weather. Her injuries had kept her from completing her usual workout regimen until the previous week or so as well. Though she had been cleared to drive and given a clean bill of health, Yang's ribs still ached. Every right-hander was agonizing and most of the corners at the Amity Circuit were right-handers. The fast and sweeping Signs was particularly painful.

Yang's suffering played into the hands of May and Weiss. On lap 45 of 55 May caught up to the ailing Yang. May passed Yang on the Amity straight and with her weaker engine Yang could do nothing to respond. Just three laps later Weiss caught Yang. Their fight was more competitive. Their cars were almost equal and Yang tended to be the faster driver, but her physical condition was a serious distraction. Still, Weiss had to be careful. Even with the changes to her car's setup, it was still very sensitive to the air. Yang's car disturbed the air flowing over Weiss' wings and made cornering more difficult. Every time she would get close the wake from Yang's car would force Weiss to fall back. The only option was to pass her in a part of the track where aerodynamics did not matter as much, but there Yang's chassis was superior.

After following Yang for a few laps Weiss noticed that Yang was slower in the right-handers. Weiss knew it was probably because of the injury but that was not going to stop her from exploiting it. On lap 54 Yang got a poor exit from Signs. Yang knew Weiss would try to pass so she took the defensive line, moving right on entry to Beauty. Weiss drove to the left of Yang's car and they entered the corner side-by-side. Normally the inside line would have won out but in her injured and exhausted state, Yang could not pull ahead. Instead they headed for The Carousel side-by-side. Now Weiss had the preferred line and she easily took the position, dropping Yang to fifth.

The race ended before anyone else could catch Yang, though Sun was charging. Winter won by a huge margin over Pyrrha, May and Weiss. Reese, Mercury, Dew and Fox rounded out the top 10. Yang was going to have to make some changes to avoid a repeat in the next race. More exercise would be part of it, but she could not count on the pain being gone. Other measures would be needed. Ruby was despondent following the race. She had gotten herself worked up only to experience immediate disappointment. Weiss and May were both happy with their finishes but not satisfied. They would not be until they could defeat their teammates.

The next race was the Patch GP, just two weeks later. Yang was happy to be heading home but not as happy as she might have been. Instead of Grand Patch, the grand prix was being held at Signalstone. The two tracks alternated and while Yang dominated at Grand Patch, her record at Signalstone was only mediocre. She had finished second there in her championship season and fourth the last time the race was held there. Ruby was nervous about racing at home. There the expectations would be higher and the embarrassment greater if she screwed it up. The only plus was the Qrow would be in attendance and maybe even her father would be there too. Even if the race ended up going terribly at least there would be someone there to console her.

* * *

Standings after five races:

1st - Pyrrha Nikos - 24

2nd - Yang Xiao-Long - 23

3rd - Weiss Schnee - 22

3rd - Winter Schnee - 22

5th - May Zedong - 14

6th - Sun Wukong - 9

7th - Arslan Atlan - 4

8th - Coco Adel - 2

8th - Ruby Rose - 2

10th - Fox Alistair - 1

10th - Reese Chloris - 1

10th - Neptune Vasilias - 1

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The 24 Hours of Vytal is based on the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

\- The Nevermore sports car is based on the Ford GT40 and Schnee Automotive's is still based on the Ferrari.

\- The Vytal Grand Prix stand in for the French GP, and the Amity Circuit is based on Circuit Paul Richard.

\- The Circuit Paul Richard has been greatly altered since 1971, but the layout described is period accurate.

\- Ruby's pushing the car to the point of spinning and going off track in a effort to find the limit is based on a story about Ayrton Senna.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- The 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans was dominated by the GT40 team of Pedro Rodriguez and Lucien Bianchi, but not by nearly the margin described here. All the factory Ferraris did break, but a private entry finished 7th.

\- As stated before, the weekend schedule is not period accurate, but reflects the more modern and comprehensible system.

\- The effects of pain and exhaustion on a driver has been overstated. Race car drivers tend to have superhuman resistance to discomfort and fatigue. Nigel Mansell repeatedly won races in which he was so exhausted he had to be helped from his car. In his first F1 race with Lotus, his fuel tank leaked onto him, but he pressed on until the engine failed, though skin was badly blistered. Ayrton Senna won a race at Monaco with a finger so badly injured he could barely bend it enough to grip the steering wheel. In NASCAR Dale Earnhardt Sr. won the pole and set a track record at the demanding Watkins Glen with a broken collar bone suffered in a crash at Talladega. In the year before he won his title, Brad Keselowski ran several races with a broken ankle suffered in a testing accident at Road Atlanta.


	10. Patch GP

Chapter 10

 _22 Years Ago_

Taiyang had been dating Summer for a few months. At first he had been a bit concerned about the potential complications that could arise from being in a romantic relationship with his teammate, but he had a good feeling about it. They understood each other in a way that he and Raven never had. For all the time they had spent together, for some reason he had never really watched her drive. Sure, they had driven side-by-side in practice sessions and races, but being behind the wheel himself, it was difficult to really pay attention to what she was doing.

When F1 arrived at Signalstone for the Patch GP, Taiyang finally got his chance. It was not an ideal situation. He went out at the start of practice and his engine did not survive the opening lap. The team was not going to get it fixed in time to get back out, so Taiyang had an hour to kill. He went up into a mostly-empty section of grandstand and just watched the cars go round. Naturally he focused on Summer. He was struck by just how slow she was. He could tell just by looking that she was not pushing nearly as hard as she could. With each lap she got slightly faster. Eventually she went too fast through the final turn, dropped her left-side wheels into the grass and spun. She looped the car around and kept going. After that she ran another ten laps. On every single one she ran the exact same line, inch perfect. It was incredible. Then she returned to the pits, got more tires and fuel and went back out. Summer ran lap after lap, still perfect. No wonder she was so fast. Taiyang had more of an instinctive feel for the car and track, but Summer was like a finely tuned machine.

After the practice session ended Taiyang returned to the garage. "What were you doing out there?" He asked Summer.

"What do you mean?" Summer asked.

"You started out slow, then you spun out." Taiyang replied. "It was like I was watching a novice. Then your driving totally changed. You were fast and almost robotic. It's like you flipped a switch."

"Oh, I do that at every track the first time I go." Summer said. "Well, every track with a little runoff room. This one gives me a lot of room to experiment. The best way to find the limit is to go over it. Of course it would be stupid to go way over the limit - that would get me killed - but if I work up to it incrementally, I can find it without too much drama. Once I get it figured out, it's just a matter of repeating the same thing over and over. Is that not normal?"

"No, no way." Taiyang replied. "Not for me at least. I can just feel it."

"What if your feeling is wrong?" Summer asked.

"It's usually not." Taiyang answered.

"I can't argue with the results." Summer said. "I guess I just don't have the same feel you do."

"It wasn't always so easy." Taiyang admitted. "When I was younger I did more crashing than most. As much as it's instinct, there is some learning to my technique. With time you'll probably get there."

"Well until then I guess I'll have to keep doing it my way." Summer said. "It's worked pretty well so far."

Taiyang qualified on pole for the race with Summer second. He overdrove the first turn and she got around him. He spent the whole race chasing her. He would catch up only to make a mistake and fall back again. Summer just kept running her own race, hitting the same exact marks every lap. In the end she won handily, her first F1 victory. Taiyang was thoroughly impressed with her driving. He was also impressed and relieved by her humility. Most racing drivers were braggarts but Summer never made a big deal about beating him. To him she seemed perfect in every way. The two were married by the end of the year and Ruby was born about a year after that.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Taiyang decided he had to watch Ruby race. Sure, he was terrified at just the thought, but he had to do it. It was his duty as a parent. He had technically watched her run the Vacuo 500, but had gotten so drunk to calm his nerves that he hardly remembered a thing. Watching races on tape delay was easier. When he knew nothing bad would happen, his nerves were calmed considerably. Unfortunately, with all the rain Menagerie it told him little and Ruby was out in the first corner at Vytal. He had to see her live and in person. He decided Singalstone would be the ideal track.

Signalstone was the site of the very first F1 grand prix and had changed little since then. Normally tracks that had not changed in decades were deathtraps, but Signalstone was different. The track had been built on a disused military airfield, utilizing the runways and taxiways. As such, there were no trees, buildings or other dangerous obstructions anywhere near the circuit. It had wide runoff areas in many of the corners, the barriers were robust and extensive to keep the cars away from serious danger, and the track workers were numerous and well-trained.

If there was one place where Taiyang could be reasonably sure Ruby and Yang would be safe, it was Signalstone. It did not hurt that it was close to home. The girls would be thrilled to know he would be in attendance. Taiyang decided to get a regular grandstand ticket. He picked a spot where he had once sat many years ago. Through practice, time trials and the race he would sit there and just watch. There he could remain somewhat detached. He might even be able to pretend it was still the good old days, back when he could watch a race without feeling sick. Qrow would be in attendance too, but he decided to watch from the Beacon GP garage. He may have shared Taiyang's fears, but he drowned them with alcohol just as he had for so many years already.

* * *

Just before practice, Taiyang took his seat high in the grandstands overlooking the final corner, The Cut. It was a fast right-hand sweeper. Actually, that was a pretty good description of most of the track's corners. The track was basically just five sweeping right-hand turns and three flat-out left-hand kinks. The Cut just happened to be the fastest corner that could not be taken without slowing. That made it probably the trickiest on the track. It was also the most dangerous. The combination of speed and less runoff area than any other corner made it particularly treacherous.

Practice began and Taiyang began to feel sick. He did not want to watch as the silver cars piloted by his daughters swung around The Cut lap after lap. He forced himself. He could not help but notice how similar Yang's driving style was to his own. She was immediately fast, slinging her car through the corner with abandon, always on the very edge. Ruby was very different. She was slower, tentative. That could be down to her inexperience or maybe she was scared. Taiyang could not have blamed her for either. As the practice session wore on Ruby got progressively faster but was still off the pace of the front runners. The real surprise was Weiss who led the session from Yang and Pyrrha.

In the weeks leading up to the Patch Grand Prix, Pyrrha had watched with interest as Weiss made wholesale changes to her chassis. Nora and her subordinate mechanics complained but ultimately made the desired changes. Pyrrha had considered ordering the changes for her own car but decided to see how things went first. She could tell that Weiss had a different philosophy. Weiss wanted a car that was perfect, tailored to her style. Pyrrha just asked for a car that was good enough, then made up the difference with her skill. If she asked for changes they were small.

Now Pyrrha was beginning to regret not adopting Weiss' revised chassis. The suspension geometry and weight distribution made for a much more comfortable car, if not a naturally faster one. It gave Weiss the confidence she needed to get the most out of the car. Pyrrha's setup might have had more potential speed, but it was on a knife edge and Pyrrha was forced to hold back a bit, at least in practice. In time trials and the race she could afford to push it.

The second and third practices were very similar to the first. The real surprise though, was Ruby. She gained more time from the first session to the last than anyone. In the final practice she placed fourth, just behind the top three that had remained the same. If she continued her improvement, she would be in with a shot at the pole by the end of time trials. Taiyang could not help but feel like he was watching the reincarnation of Summer. She and Ruby had such a similar style. It was eerie. It made him cry.

Meanwhile, Winter and May struggled. Signalstone was a fast track but handling counted for more than at many other circuits. Their cars were just not up to the task. On the straights they could outrun anyone, but in the long sweeping turns they were hopeless. At least May could be satisfied that she was posting times close to Winter's. The last thing she wanted was to be dominated by her teammate again.

* * *

Qualifying was tightly contested. As the session wound down the order was Pyrrha, Weiss, Yang and Ruby, all with a realistic shot at the pole. After a sizable gap came May, Sun, Winter, Reese, Coco and Neptune, all within a second of one another. The struggles displayed by Schnee Automotive had continued into time trials and only seemed to get worse. As usual it was all going to come down to one last run.

Ruby slowed before The Cut. She needed to get a good run through the corner to start her lap. She took an unorthodox line that maximized her exit speed and blasted out onto the frontstretch. She flashed across the line to start her lap and was soon on the brakes for the first corner, Woods. It was another fast right-hander, only a little tighter than The Cut. Ruby hit her apex perfectly and roared off the corner, using every inch of the track on exit. After a short straight was the first of the flat-out left-hand kinks, Moor. With only a slight turn of the steering wheel Ruby was through and then back on the brakes for the track's tightest corner, an acute right-hander called Saint. Ruby got on the throttle as soon as possible and got a good launch out of the corner. Almost immediately it was time for the second left-hand kink, Church. She had no trouble with it and ran down the long straight that followed, pushing her engine to the limit.

Ruby braked hard for the following right-hander, School. She got a fast exit, a wide paved area outside the technical boundary of the track allowed her to swing her car out for maximum speed. Then after a short blast it was on the brakes again for Mall, another right-hander. After a good exit she headed for the trickiest of the three left-hand kinks, Monastery. She wrenched her car into a slide, clipping the kerb on the inside of the corner before swinging all the way out to the edge of the grass on exit. She was flying now, heading straight for The Cut. She raced under the crossover bridge that spanned the track before getting hard on the brakes. She turned in and got back on the throttle as soon as possible. Maybe a little too soon. Ruby's car pushed to the outside edge of the track on corner exit and her left-rear wheel just got into the grass. The car started to spin right toward the wall separating the track from the pits. Ruby quickly jerked the steering wheel back to the left. The car slid across the track, just clipping the wall with its right-rear tire. The suspension was bent and Ruby limped across the line to complete a lap that did not improve on her best time. Before her mistake she had been on pace for the front row but she would have to settle for fourth.

Weiss grabbed the pole, fractions of a second ahead of Pyrrha. Yang was a strong third. Behind Ruby, Sun took fifth, followed by May, Winter, Reese, Neptune and Arslan. Pyrrha now thoroughly regretted not adopting Weiss' modifications. Pyrrha had taken pole and won the previous race at Signalstone and had been expecting a repeat performance. Weiss, for her part, was thrilled to show that she could compete with her teammate. The same went for May though both Schnee Automotive drivers were disappointed in their cars' performance. Even Ruby was encouraged. Though she had damaged her car and ruined a fast lap, it would be fixed for the race and that lap had been a real flier. Still, the race was what really mattered.

* * *

Ruby could not help but look to the stands as she waited with her car on the grid. Even amongst the sea of cheering fans she could pick out her father, standing in the back row just as he had been all weekend. He looked as nervous as she felt. After parking on the grid she had run to the garage to throw up. She was feeling extra nauseous today. After a dismal Vytal GP the pressure was on, doubly so because she was racing at home. At least she could take comfort in knowing she was not alone in her worry.

Yang was nervous too. A year that had started with such promise seemed to be slipping away. She was still worried about her ribs too. They had not hurt all weekend, but then again, they had not hurt before the race in Vytal either. She had been exercising obsessively and added extra padding to her cockpit to prevent a repeat of the last race's late slide down the order, but until the grand prix was underway she had no way of knowing if it was enough. She had other things on her mind too, but for now she was able to push them away.

The cars rolled around the track for their parade lap before reforming on the grid. The starter raised his flag and Taiyang held his breath. The green flag dropped and the cars launched forward, heading for Woods. Weiss got there first with Pyrrha trailing. Yang and Ruby arrived side-by-side, but Ruby yielded the corner like a good teammate. At Beacon GP there was no #1 driver, but Ruby knew Yang was the one in with a shot at the title. The field got away clean and raced away from the frontstretch grandstands. Taiyang used the lull to vomit off the side, much to the chagrin of those below.

May passed Sun for fifth on the third lap. Winter seemed unable to keep up with the pair. It was not down to skill or setup. Something about the engine was off and it was not running right. It only lowered its output a little, but at a fast track where the team's only advantage was power, it was enough to prevent her from moving up. At least she had a gap to the cars behind. If Winter was lucky the problem would not be terminal, maybe a bad spark plug or something simple like that. Of course it was equally likely that the engine would tear itself apart any second. She kept going. There was no reason to stop until she was sure.

Up at the front Weiss and Pyrrha were clearly the fastest. Yang and Ruby were able to stay with them thanks to the draft, but they could not mount an effective challenge. Pyrrha was challenging Weiss though. At every opportunity she would peek out of line, gauging Weiss' reactions. After a few looks it was clear that Weiss was not going to give in easily, even if it meant blocking rather forcefully. Pyrrha's car was not great anyway. She did not seem to have the same level of grip on corner exit. It was not all sunshine and rainbows for Weiss though. Her car was massively improved from the one she had driven in Vytal, but it was still not entirely to her liking. It was too twitchy on throttle for her taste and having Pyrrha disrupting the air coming off her rear wing only made it more unstable. Pyrrha had to contend with understeer caused by Weiss' wake, but understeer would not cause her to crash. Snap oversteer could put Weiss in the barrier in a second.

Ruby was content to ride behind Yang. She was thrilled to be running just as fast. Even had she not been benefitting from the draft, Ruby was confident she could keep up. After working all weekend she was finally comfortable. It had been a lot of work and harrowing at times, but it was paying off. If she had to go through it at every track it would be rough, but at least it would be livable. Yang was feeling good too. Even as the race approached halfway she felt fresh and strong without a hint of pain. She was back, finally. If Weiss or Pyrrha slipped up, Yang would be ready to pounce.

Things up front were more or less stable but there was a spirited battle going on just outside the points. Reese, Neptune and Arslan battled for eighth. Reese had been incredibly fast ever since taking over for the late Bolin. Neptune and Arslan both had more experience but found getting past difficult. Reese struggled to set consistent laps but every time Neptune got close enough to pass she would pull it together and pull out a gap. Neptune would inevitably spend a few laps fighting off challenges from Arslan before Reese would fall back to the pair again. On lap 47 Reese dropped back a bit and Neptune made a run to pass on entry to School. He dove to Reese's right and got beside her car. They ran through the corner side-by-side but Neptune's car oversteered badly. It was all he could to just to save it. He did not just fail to pass Reese, he lost the position to Arslan as well.

As the laps wound down Weiss was having trouble with wear on her rear tires. She had been pushing too hard to keep ahead of Pyrrha, plus the disruption to the air off her wing was reducing rear downforce, and it was coming back to bite her. On lap 61 of 68, her rears broke traction under throttle on exit of Mall. She saved it and ended up on the right side of the track, the outside of the next turn but the preferred line to get a good entry. She would have stayed on that line but Pyrrha got a great run out of Mall. She looked to the left of Weiss before Monastery and Weiss moved left to block. They touched. The nose of Pyrrha's car just clipped the rear of Weiss'. Weiss went into a skid and slid wide of Monastery, running in a wide arc through the grass. Pyrrha's car was jerked left. She shot across the grass on the inside of Monastery and hit the dirt bank that surrounded the track. Instead of stopping her car it acted like a ramp and launched her skyward, her car tumbling end-over-end.

Yang began to round Monastery and noticed a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked to see Pyrrha's airborne car cartwheeling straight for her. Yang made herself as small as she could inside the cockpit and Pyrrha's car slammed down side-first onto Yang's car just in front of the cockpit. Pyrrha's car flipped on into the grass and with her steering column broken Yang went off the track with her. Weiss was still running through the grass. She kept going and rejoined the track about halfway between Monastery and the bridge, but the sizable delay had let Ruby into the lead.

As Yang's car rolled to a halt she became aware of a few drops of red liquid on her visor. It looked like transmission fluid, probably from Pyrrha's wrecked car. When Yang reached up and touched it, she came to a terrifying realization. It was blood. Pyrrha's blood. Yang ripped off her helmet and balaclava and tossed them into the grass beside her car as she rushed to get out. The potential for fire should have worried her but she was only concerned about Pyrrha. She rushed to Pyrrha's car which had come to rest on its side with the cockpit facing away from her.

As Yang rounded the wreck she saw a beautiful sight. Pyrrha was crawling out on her own. The cockpit had been crushed and bent, so she was having some trouble. Aside from a nasty gash on her arm though, she looked uninjured. Yang grabbed Pyrrha under the shoulders and helped her out of the mangled hulk. With Yang's assistance Pyrrha stood. Pyrrha took of her helmet and balaclava and looked back at what remained of her car. It was barely recognizable as an F1 car and she knew she was lucky to be alive. The wound on her arm stung and though it bled badly, she knew it was not that big a deal considering.

Just as Pyrrha was about to walk away Yang suddenly embraced her. Yang squeezed her hard and buried her head in Pyrrha's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're alright." Yang said, her voice trembling. "When I saw your blood I…"

"Yang, are you crying?" Pyrrha asked.

Yang took a step back. "Yeah, sorry, I was worried." She said. "I don't know what I'd do if...you know…"

"You're starting to sound like you did at the Vacuo 500." Pyrrha observed. "You know, when you were drunk."

"Am I?" Yang asked. She seemed totally flustered. "Forget I said anything. I'm glad you're still in one piece. Let's head back to the garage."

"I think that's a good idea." Pyrrha agreed.

Ruby came around the track to see Pyrrha and Yang walking away from their cars. That was a relief. Ruby had seen the entire accident and it looked bad, particularly for Pyrrha. There was not time to dwell on it though. There was a race to run and Ruby was leading it with just a few laps to go. Weiss was behind her by a decent margin but charging. If Ruby made one slip or had one slow lap, Weiss would be there.

Ruby rounded The Cut one last time. Weiss was a few car lengths back. Ruby crossed the line to take the victory. She could not believe it. She broke down crying as she rolled her car around the track on the cool-down lap. The track workers stood at the edge of the circuit, waving their flags and cheering for their hometown hero. The fans surged forward, pressing against the fences as they cheered her on. Now Ruby knew how Yang must have felt when she won for the first time at Grand Patch. The Vacuo 500 may have been a bigger race, but today felt so much sweeter. Ruby returned to the pits, parking her car near the podium.

With the cars off the track, the gates were opened and the fans surged onto the frontstretch to get a closer look at the podium. When Ruby's name was announced and she stood on the top step, she did so overlooking a writhing, cheering sea of humanity. To top it all off they were chanting her name. Ruby looked around, searching for one person in particular. He was not there amongst the masses. She looked to his spot in the grandstands. Taiyang stood there applauding, tears of joy streaming down his face. Ruby was crying too. As the national anthem of Patch played she did not even bother to try to hold back the tears. It was a day Ruby had never even dreamed of, and yet here she was, atop the podium having won the Patch Grand Prix.

* * *

Weiss ended up second after leading almost the entire race. She was honestly just happy that Pyrrha was alright. She blamed herself for the accident. Her blocking was too aggressive sometimes. She apologized to Pyrrha immediately, even though Pyrrha tried to apologize for costing Weiss the win. Behind Weiss, May took the third step on the podium, followed by Sun, and Winter, whose engine had somehow survived. It turned out that a minor electrical issue had caused her problems. Reese took the final point. Arslan, Neptune, Coco and Emerald rounded out the top 10.

* * *

Standings after six races:

1st - Weiss Schnee - 28

2nd - Pyrrha Nikos - 24

2nd - Winter Schnee - 24

4th - Yang Xiao-Long - 23

5th - May Zedong - 18

6th - Sun Wukong - 12

7th - Ruby Rose - 11

8th - Arslan Atlan - 4

9th - Coco Adel - 2

9th - Reese Chloris - 2

11th - Fox Alistair - 1

11th - Neptune Vasilias - 1

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Signalstone is based on Silverstone. Yes, I am very proud of the name.

\- Weiss' changes to the car are based on Niki Lauda's start in F1. After a few disappointing years with March, he bought a seat at BRM. Being a technical genius, he was able to instruct his personal mechanics (part of his contract) on how to make the car much better. He refused to divulge what changes had been made until his money was returned, which it was.

\- Prior to the mid-to-late 90's, when a British driver took the victory at Silverstone the result tended to be chaos, with a complete breakdown in crowd control. After one of his victories Nigel Mansell had to pick his way through the crowd that had basically taken over the track on his cooldown lap.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Ruby's development as an inexperienced rookie is probably unrealistically fast, though it would not be unprecedented.

\- The detrimental effects of having a car run close behind are probably overstated for the era, though modern cars would likely see that kind of problem.

\- Dirt banks used as retaining walls for race tracks did have a nasty tendency to act as ramps, but Silverstone was better than most tracks in keeping them square.


	11. Emerald Forest GP

Chapter 11

 _Two Weeks Ago - The Night Following the Patch Grand Prix_

"You know, I was excited by the idea that you might start coming to more races." Yang said to her father. "But every time you show up I end up in some horrible wreck. Maybe stay home from now on." As he had at Grand Patch five years before, Qrow had somehow procured a barbeque grill, food to cook on it, and a mountain of booze for a post-race party. Beacon GP and Team Juniper both stuck around for the celebrations, along with a few others.

"I don't think you have to worry about me jinxing you anymore." Taiyang said. "My heart can't take another race like this."

"I'm with you on that." Yang agreed.

"Yang, do you have a moment?" Pyrrha asked.

"Sure, what's up?" Yang replied.

"I need to talk to you." Pyrrha said. "In private." She gestured toward Team Juniper's garage which now sat dark and empty with everyone at the Beacon party.

"Of course." Yang said. "I'll be right back." She said to the others. Yang followed Pyrrha to Team Juniper's garage. Pyrrha flipped on the lights and closed the door behind Yang. "I never got a chance to ask, but how's your arm?"

Pyrrha was wearing short sleeves now and the bloody bandage wrapped around the jagged wound was clearly visible. As her car was flipping a broken suspension component had sliced into her just below the shoulder. "It did a lot of bleeding but it's not that bad." Pyrrha replied. "It didn't damage anything important. I'm already cleared to race."

"Well that's good." Yang said. Then there was an awkward silence. "So what's this about?" Yang finally asked. Pyrrha did not immediately respond. "Come on, out with it."

"Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out how to say this." Pyrrha said. "The only phrasing I can come up with is pretty immature."

"I don't care." Yang assured her. "Just say it."

"Fine." Pyrrha sighed. "Do you...have a crush on me?"

"Wow, that does sound pretty immature." Yang said.

"Answer the question." Pyrrha pressed.

"Yes, you caught me." Yang admitted. "I like you...a lot."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Pyrrha asked.

"I didn't want to make things weird." Yang replied. "We've been good friends and I didn't want to risk that. I had no idea how you'd react if I just out and said it."

"How long have you felt that way?" Pyrrha asked.

"Years I guess." Yang answered.

"Years?!" Pyrrha shouted. "How did you go years without saying anything? How long would you have waited?"

"If I hadn't gotten plastered in Vacuo and we hadn't had the crash today, I probably never would have said a word." Yang admitted. "Our friendship is more important to me than any stupid feeling I might have."

"Your feelings aren't stupid." Pyrrha said. "And it's not healthy to just bottle things up. Besides, you know I wouldn't let something like that ruin our friendship."

"Well, I have other reasons." Yang sighed.

"Go on." Pyrrha encouraged.

"You've met my father." Yang said. "The woman he loved was a racing driver too. Her death destroyed him. It's a dangerous sport and it's not wise to become attached to anyone. That's why I don't associate with most of the other drivers. Just being friends with you, Weiss and Winter is risky enough. And now Ruby's in the mix. I just...don't want to end up like that."

"Would it really be any better if I died and you never said anything?" Pyrrha asked. "Would that really have softened the blow?"

"Probably not." Yang said. "But I can at least convince myself that you'd never see me the same way I see you, so…"

"I've never seen you as someone who would avoid risks." Pyrrha cut her off.

"It's hard to deal with emotions you're feeling for the first time." Yang said. "Don't get me wrong. I'm sure you know about all the boyfriends and girlfriends I've had over the years. It's been all over the tabloids. A lot of us drivers are like that. My father was like that. And I did care about them. I've just never felt this way about anyone other than you. My father threw caution to the wind and went for it with Summer, but I know how that story ends. I don't want a repeat."

"There doesn't have to be a repeat." Pyrrha said. "It's still dangerous, but racing's different now."

"I've seen too many drivers die over the years to really believe that." Yang said. "You've come very close to death twice this year already."

"But here I am." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah, there you are." Yang said. "So now that everything's out in the open…"

"Give me some time to think." Pyrrha said. "I can't say I saw this coming."

"Well, that's a better response than I would have expected." Yang laughed. "I thought I was in for a 'let's just be friends.'" Yang paused. "Maybe that would be better."

"If you're worried about becoming too attached to me, I think that ship has sailed." Pyrrha said. "Besides, I'm not going to die."

"That's what every driver says." Yang said. "Death is something that happens to someone else. It could never happen to me or anyone I care about. It's the lie that keeps us sane, but it's just that, a lie. In our line of work it can all end in an instant. It doesn't even have to be your fault. One slip, one little mechanical fault, one bit of bad luck and it's all over."

"You know it and I know it." Pyrrha said. "So what does it matter? It's no reason to stop living our lives. You said you don't want to end up like your father. Isn't that what happened to him?"

"You make a good point." Yang said. "It would be a bad idea to concern myself with what might happen."

"That's right." Pyrrha said. "Now let's get back to that party. I'm sure everyone else is wondering where we went."

* * *

 _Present Day_

It was time to race at the Emerald Forest, maybe. First the directors of the GPDA would have to make their inspection and approve the track. On the Thursday before the race they rounded the track in a road car. The surface was much improved though there were still places where cars would likely get airborne. After their initial assessment, they went back around to check the newly installed barriers. The armco had been significantly extended, but dirt banks still lined much of the circuit. At least the more risky areas had been reinforced. Ultimately, the track was not safe enough for their liking, but the race would go forward. The people in charge of the track had held up their end of the bargain and the drivers would have to hold up theirs. After all, short of building a whole new circuit, there was no way the track could really be made safe enough.

The North Circuit was still much the same as it had been five years earlier. The repaving job made it smoother and a few bits had been remodeled. Four years before, a chicane had been added between The Zoo and the start/finish straight to slow the cars to a more sane speed as they passed the pits. A barrier had even been put up separating the pits from the track. Still the circuit remained a fearsome beast. It was still incredibly long, too fast and complex in the extreme. The drivers would just have to deal with it like they always did.

* * *

"You two picked a hell of a time to get together." Weiss groaned. Yang and Pyrrha just looked at her. "Let's start dating right before we go to the three most dangerous tracks on the circuit. That sounds like a great idea! What could go wrong? It's not like we're just daring the gods to kill us or anything. Do you idiots watch movies?"

"This isn't a movie." Yang said. "This is the real world." She paused. "Though it crossed my mind once or twice."

"Well, if you two are happy I guess I'm happy for you." Weiss said, almost grudgingly. "Hopefully you'll be distracted by each other and I'll run away with this championship."

"My mother and father won four straight titles between them." Yang said. "If it wasn't for your fluke three years ago we'd have done the same thing already. I don't think distraction will be an issue."

"Don't call it a fluke." Pyrrha admonished. "Weiss earned that championship."

"I also happen to be the current points leader." Weiss added. "You're what, fourth?"

"I'll give you that." Yang said. "And you certainly deserve a trophy for you skill at running Pyrrha off the track."

"I already apologized for that." Weiss protested. "Repeatedly."

"Come on you two." Pyrrha said. "Stop arguing."

"They did this all the time when they were teammates." Ruby said as she entered the garage. "Do you really think you can stop them from arguing now? Come on Yang, practice is about to start."

"Is it that time already?" Yang asked. "Well, I guess I'll be going." Yang winked at Pyrrha. "I'll see you later."

Weiss rolled her eyes as Yang and Ruby headed for the Beacon GP garage. "What do you see in her?" Weiss asked. Pyrrha was about to speak. "Don't answer that."

* * *

The practice sessions showed just how important engine power was going to be. Winter and May topped the sessions, followed by Yang. It seemed the Beacon GP chassis was better suited to the track than the Team Juniper car. Pyrrha, had adopted the upgrades Weiss had had fitted to her car in Patch and was back to being faster but only just. Then there was Ruby, noticeably slower than the other front-runners but still faster than the rest of the pack. She really struggled to learn the track but everyone suspected she would only get faster with time. As time trials drew near their end, the order was the same.

Yang went out for one last lap in the closing moments of the session. She entered the final chicane - High Rain - slower than usual and took a line that made for a better launch toward the start line. Yang flashed across the line to start her lap and then was almost immediately on the brakes for the first turn. She swung the car left then right through the South Curve, tore up the backstretch, then carefully made her way through the North Curve. Yang drove her car down through Hunt Creek and the Tall Oaks, slinging her car through the series of corners. Then it was back uphill and up to speed through Airfield and Cross. After the slow right-hander that followed she dove down into Fox Hole before climbing back up to The Forest. Her car was handling perfectly. She flew through the relatively open area that followed before the track wound back into the trees. After a long tangle of tight corners and drastic elevation changes, Yang was back to top speed for Little Valley and Courage Corner. From there, all the way to Jump Hill, the track was tight and twisting. Yang wrestled her car around the corners. Then the ground fell away and she became airborne as the circuit opened up again. Through Swallow's Tail, Small Carousel and Gallows she pushed the car to the very edge. Then it was out onto The Peak. On the incredibly long straight the engine screamed, pushed to its very limits. Yang was on the brakes hard as she came out of The Zoo, slowing for High Rain. She negotiated the chicane, controlled her wheelspin on exit and got a good run out and across the line.

It was only enough for Yang to hold onto third. To no one's surprise Winter had taken the pole with May second. Fourth place was a surprise though. On her final lap Ruby had put up a time a full two seconds faster than any lap she had run before. That leapfrogged her over Pyrrha and Weiss who had set almost identical times. Sun, Neptune, Coco and Mercury rounded out the top 10, but they were five seconds or more adrift of Weiss. The gap between the top runners and last place Roy Stallion was over thirty seconds.

* * *

It rained all night and into the morning before the race. Then the skies cleared and the sun came out. By race time the track was dry. After their parade lap the cars lined up on the grid for the start. The starter raised his flag and held it there for what seemed like an eternity to the waiting drivers. Then the flag dropped and the race was underway. Immediately there was trouble. Mercury's transmission disintegrated as soon as he dropped the clutch. Somehow the rest of the field managed to avoid his stationary car as they thundered into the first turn.

Winter made it through the first turn ahead of May. On the second row Ruby got a perfect start and got ahead of Yang. Pyrrha and Weiss battled through the South Curve but Pyrrha emerged in front. Neptune forced Sun wide. Sun pushed to stay beside Neptune, knowing he could have the line in the next corner, but he pushed too hard. His car began to oversteer. Sun corrected and his car swung out wide to the left. He corrected back to the right but not in time and he slapped the armco on the outside of the track, ending his race in the first corner. Before the end of the first lap, two more cars fell out with mechanical issues. Adam's motor quit on the hill up to Airfield and Russel's suspension failed as it took full load in the Carousel.

The frontrunners crossed the line to complete lap 1 in the same order they had been in when they rounded the North Curve over seven minutes earlier. The difference was that Winter had a huge lead on May and May was far ahead of Ruby. Yang was right on Ruby's tail but could not find an opening. The sisters had opened a small gap over Pyrrha and Weiss who running nose-to-tail. After that it was a long way to Neptune who was fighting off a challenge from Coco. Neptune had the better overall car but Coco had better engine power so the gap between the pair opened and closed as the track shifted between endless straights and complex twists.

There was a bit of a scare on lap 3. Coco headed for High Rain just behind Neptune. The pair were both near the top speed their cars could manage. When Coco hit the brakes there was a huge puff of smoke from the left-front as the disk shattered. Her car hooked right, slid sideways just missing Neptune, and shot off the corner and slammed into the tire-lined armco side-on. Astonishingly she jumped out of the car in seconds, apparently unhurt. Her race was over but she was happy to be alive.

Winter had only extended her sizable lead by lap 6. She rounded the South Curve, hit the gas, and bang! With the rattle of metal and a tremendous cloud of white smoke, her engine self-destructed. She limped her car to the North Curve and turned right instead of left, entering the garage from the back, her race over. Now May was the one with a huge lead. It did come with a worry though. If Winter's engine was somehow defective, the same problem could be lurking in May's. May was determined to win but knew that her current pace could easily wreck her motor. She slowed a bit. She could sacrifice her lead while saving her equipment.

Of course news of Winter's engine failure and May's decrease in pace was immediately passed to Ruby and Yang via their pit boards. There was blood in the water. The problem was, there was not much to be done. Both had been pushing as hard as possible since the very beginning. Ruby was getting faster every lap already, even if only by fractions of a second. Yang, for her part, was starting to have trouble keeping up with her sister. Only the draft kept their cars glued together. Yang had won at Emerald Forest before but only in the rain. In the dry she was not great there. Something about the track apparently agreed with Ruby though.

Behind Ruby and Yang, Pyrrha and Weiss were in the midst of an intense battle for fourth. They had almost identical speed. They would draft back and forth past one another on the long straights, remain nose-to-tail through the twisty bits, then go back to swapping position again. There seemed nothing to choose between them. Barring a major mistake by either, timing would probably decide who would end up with the position. Behind them Neptune was fighting off a challenge from Emerald who was surging toward the front. Arslan and Reese were not far behind that.

As Ruby and Yang crested the hill and got airborne through Airfield on the lap 12 of 12, they could see May ahead. They might just have time to catch her. They wound through the slower, more complex parts of the track and closed further. May did not even pull away through Little Valley. As they flew over Jump Hill the three were all together. May noticed. She picked up the pace through Swallow's Tail but Ruby stayed with her. Yang fell back a bit, unable to match the pace. Ruby followed May through Small Carousel and Gallows, and out onto The Peak. Ruby tucked in May's wake, gaining rapidly via the draft. She peeked out to the right and drove up alongside May but before she could complete the pass May began to slowly pull back ahead. Ruby fell back as May's superior horsepower kept her in the lead. She kept drafting through The Zoo and made one last attempt, diving right on entry to High Rain. May moved right and that was enough to get Ruby to abort the dangerous maneuver. May crossed the line to take her first win, followed by Ruby and Yang.

Weiss was ahead as she and Pyrrha exited Gallows. Pyrrha drafted up, closing in for the slingshot. Weiss expected Pyrrha to step out to pass but she suddenly slowed and held her position. They ran line astern through The Zoo. At the last moment Pyrrha ducked right under braking for High Rain. Weiss knew better than to block given their recent history and Pyrrha zipped up the inside. She overshot the corner slightly but not enough that Weiss could use a crossover move. Weiss was forced to follow Pyrrha across the line. Behind them Neptune took the final points paying position. Emerald, Arslan, Reese and Fox rounded out the top 10.

All the drivers were happy in a way. They had completed the Emerald Forest Grand Prix and no one was dead. Winter was disappointed with her engine failure as she would have otherwise won easily, but, again, she was still alive. May, of course, was the happiest of all. Her victory was the product of luck more than skill, but a win was a win and it was the first of her F1 career. She had finally proven that she belonged. On the second step of the podium, Ruby was now just as sure that she belonged. Her win at Signalstone was a bit of a fluke but her podium finish at the Emerald Forest was not. If she could figure out that track, the others would come to her as well.

* * *

Standings after seven races:

1st - Weiss Schnee - 30

2nd - Yang Xiao-Long - 27

2nd - Pyrrha Nikos - 27

2nd - May Zedong - 27

5th - Winter Schnee - 24

6th - Ruby Rose - 17

7th - Sun Wukong - 12

8th - Arslan Atlan - 4

9th - Coco Adel - 2

9th - Reese Chloris - 2

9th - Neptune Vasilias - 2

12th - Fox Alistair - 1

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Emerald Forest is based on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

\- 30 seconds sounds like an unrealistically huge interval between the lap times for first and last on the grid, but it's period accurate. Over a lap that was longer than seven minutes, a big gap could and did open between the fast cars and the backmarkers.

\- The fact that all the drivers were happy just that no one had died in a race at the Nurburgring is not an exaggeration. After a race in particularly harrowing conditions, Jackie Stewart's first words to his team owner were "Who died?" He was very surprised and relieved to find out that no one had.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- There was no wall between the track and the pits at the Nurburgring in 1971.

\- The effects of the draft as seen at the Nurburgring are overstated.


	12. Shade GP

Chapter 12

 _One Year Ago_

The Shade Grand Prix was the newest race on the calendar. The fast, flowing track was vaguely horseshoe-shaped, cutting through a mountainside forest. The drivers were concerned and none more than Winter. It was a brand new track but lacked some of the basic safety features that had been staples for years. Armco barriers were rare with dirt banks and flimsy fences used instead. The trees were too close for comfort with not enough between them and the drivers. The place also seemed understaffed. There were safety workers in all the corners but not enough for such a large circuit. The corners themselves were very fast. Most tracks had at least one or two slow corners but the Shadering had none. That speed, combined with frequent and drastic elevation changes made for a very tricky circuit. There was no margin for error.

Earlier in the year at the Vytal GP, Mercury had been involved in a serious accident. A mechanical failure had caused his car to spear straight into a barrier. His cockpit was narrowed and bent, badly breaking his lower legs. He would return the following year, but his season was over. In his place Phase Two hired an older sports car driver, Roman Torchwick. He was never particularly fast but he had a habit of always being there at the finish, in with a shot when he had no business being close. What he lacked in speed he more than made up for in clever tactics. That was all well and good in sports cars where the races were as much about just making it to the finish as being quick, but it was a style unlikely to transfer to F1.

Roman struggled at the Patch GP. His car was bad, as evidenced by Emerald's poor performance in the same equipment, but he could not come close to keeping up with his teammate. The best thing that could be said was that he kept it on the circuit. At the Emerald Forest he was closer to being on pace. There keeping it on the track was just as important as speed, and he put in a decent finish in a race where many others suffered mechanical issues and crashes. Still, Emerald beat him easily. There were rumors that he would be replaced with a younger driver. He had no interest in going back to sports cars. Shade would be his last chance to prove himself.

Roman's weekend started well. On a track neither had seen before, he out-qualified Emerald, taking the ninth starting spot to her eleventh. When the race got underway he fell back to tenth, but at least he stayed in front of his teammate. Doing so would likely be enough to get him one more race. Emerald was not about to let him have the position however. She pressed hard, taking every opportunity to look to pass, even at times when it was obvious it would not happen. It was getting under Roman's skin. He knew that if he got clear of her and could run his own race he would be faster. He might even be able to pick up a few positions. He pushed his car to the limit, determined to free himself of Emerald's annoyance.

The backstretch was long, downhill and terrifyingly fast. At its end there was a fast kink left through which drivers had to brake for the following sweeping right-hander called Merlot Curve. Roman got a good run out of the previous corner and opened up a small gap on Emerald. If he got a good run through Merlot Curve he might just be able to put her behind him for good. As he swung his car to the left for the kink he started to brake. The car became unsettled and started to oversteer left. He corrected right and the car started to slide that way. He corrected back to the left and finally lost his battle with the car. He spun off the track to the left, slamming the dirt bank with his right front before the right rear snapped into it as well.

It was a hard impact and Roman was unconscious. After the car sat there for a few seconds, leaking fuel ignited and the wreck was immediately engulfed. Track workers rushed to the scene but found their extinguishers inadequate or defective. The car burned brightly, throwing off sparks with the occasional pop as the magnesium in the chassis and suspension went up in flames. After several minutes the fire was finally brought under control. Of course Roman was already dead. An autopsy confirmed that he had suffered non-fatal injuries in the crash and that he had died of smoke inhalation.

Winter was enraged. For years she had been calling for better firefighting at circuits and most had listened. Now a brand new track was found to be lacking in such a crucial area of safety. With the backing of the other drivers she immediately announced a boycott of the following year's race. The people in charge of the Shadering got the message. There would be better fire extinguishers, fire trucks posted at various points around the circuit, and more armco. They gave Winter everything she wanted and the boycott was called off. Another track was up to standard, and it had only cost a man his life.

* * *

 _Present Day_

When F1 arrived at the Shadering for the second time it was clear that significant improvements had been made. The circuit was still mostly ringed by dirt banks, but armco had been added in some places and the dirt banks that remained had been beefed up. The surrounding forests had been trimmed so the trees were a little further away from the track, though they were still too close for comfort. The biggest change was in the personnel. There were far more track workers and they looked much more professional. Whether they were or not was impossible to judge, but at least they now had the right equipment.

Pyrrha had dominated the previous year's race. The fast, sweeping turns made aerodynamics of critical importance and Team Juniper's had been the best. It was really a power track though, and now that Schnee Automotive had gotten its engine program back on track they would be a force to be reckoned with. Juniper's aerodynamic advantage had also closed as other teams began to figure out the technology. Pyrrha now had a decent teammate as well, so the race was not likely to be another runaway.

Practice showed the predictions were correct. Winter and May led all the sessions, trading the top spot between them. Pyrrha and Weiss were next, followed closely by Yang, Ruby, Sun and Neptune. Apparently the SeaMonkeys F1 car had a good aero package. Behind them the midfield was its usual chaotic mix of teams and drivers. Ruby continued to surprise and impress. Rather than taking all weekend to get used to the track she pretty much nailed it by the end of the first practice, posting times similar to Yang's. If she continued to improve as she had in previous races, she might well be a threat in the race.

* * *

Qualifying played out much like practice. Winter and May traded the pole back and forth as the session went on. May was on top in the closing seconds, followed by Winter, Pyrrha, Weiss, Yang, Neptune, Ruby and Sun. The gap between Team Juniper and the cars behind had closed and the race for spots 3-8 was a close one. Schnee Automotive had the front row sewn up, but there were still plenty of positions up for grabs.

Pyrrha went out for one last run in the waning moments of the session. She needed to bolster her lead over Weiss or risk losing the spot. She wound up her car around the sweeping, right-hand Champion's Curve and roared onto the frontstretch to start her lap. Her car screamed steeply uphill toward the first corner, a right-hander called Highlight. She barely had to lift before sliding her car around the incredibly fast corner. The track meandered right and left as it climbed higher, Pyrrha pushing her engine to the limit before getting on the brakes for Beacon Curve, a long and sweeping right-hander. On exit it was back downhill. Pyrrha was at top speed when she hit the brakes and turned left to negotiate the kink before Merlot Curve. Her car became unsettled but she held it, then slung her car into the long, tight, downhill right-hander. She barely had to touch the brakes as she entered the complex known as The Chicane, though it was a misnomer. The first corner was a fast left that crested a hill, followed by a short straight then a tighter left as the hill bottomed out. Pyrrha accelerated out of The Chicane, running flat-out through the right-hand kink at its exit before heading downhill toward Champion's Curve. Pyrrha braked hard for the final corner but was soon back on the throttle as the corner unwound. She spun her tires ever so slightly and oversteered, but she kept the throttle down. Her car slid to the very edge of the track just as she reached the straightaway and she roared across the line to complete her lap.

Pyrrha could be happy with her performance. She took third ahead of Weiss. Winter took the pole ahead of May by fractions of a second. Sun qualified a surprising fifth, followed by Ruby, Yang and Neptune. Reese and Coco rounded out the top 10, though they were well off the pace of the top 8. With only six points paying positions, it was going to be quite a scramble between Beacon GP and SeaMonkeys F1, barring unforeseen issues for the frontrunners of course. Up front, however, it looked as if the first four positions were more or less set in stone with only battles between teammates to determined the exact order. Only time would tell.

Weiss felt like she might have made a poor career choice. Yang might have been a slightly better driver, but Weiss could match her on some days and out-strategize her whenever the opportunity called for it. That was the difference between a passionate driver like Yang or Winter and a technician like Weiss. With Pyrrha, things were different. She was just plain faster. Weiss could get the upperhand on rare occasions, and might even have a few tracks where she was better, but there was no out-thinking Pyrrha. With the pair in roughly identical cars, Weiss was finding it almost impossible to come out on top. She had declared that she would not be treated like a #2 driver, but given their relative speeds, it seemed the default state of things. If Weiss was going to succeed as Pyrrha's teammate, she would have to make some changes. It was probably too late for this race, but there were three more after it and Weiss still held the slightest margin over Pyrrha in the points.

* * *

Ruby had vomited in the garage before driving her car out to the grid. She had hoped that would be that, but, though she had been fast all weekend, something about the track unnerved her. She stepped out of her car, hopped over the armco separating the frontstretch from the pits, and returned to her garage to vomit again. By now she was fairly used to the pre-race ritual but it was still embarrassing. None of the other drivers did anything like that, at least not publically. All drivers were headcases - Ruby knew that - but she wished her neurosis was more in line with everyone else's. Drivers were a superstitious lot and they all had their routines. Ruby knew that Yang always wore the same necklace for every race. Weiss always ate the same breakfast on race day. It was not quite the same, but Ruby had her puke.

The cars rolled around for their parade lap before returning to the grid for the start. The starter raised his flag and soon dropped it. The cars leapt off the line, climbing uphill toward Highlight. May got a great start and beat Winter to the corner. Pyrrha and Weiss both got good starts and rounded the first turn third and fourth respectively. Sun had a terrible start. He spun the tires badly, then bogged down. Ruby shot ahead followed by Neptune, then Yang slipped past just as they reached turn 1. Near the back of the field, Gwen Darcy stalled on the grid. Everyone missed her, but her car refused to fire and her race was over.

The first few laps were fairly boring. May and Winter pulled out a lead over Pyrrha and Weiss who pulled out a lead over Ruby, Neptune, Yang and Sun. None were particularly interested in passing until they were well clear of those behind them, lest a bad attempt to pass actually cost them positions. In the back there were position changes, but mostly down to mechanical issues. By lap 5 Fox, Nolan and Adam had all dropped out with one problem or another.

The battle for third heated up on lap 9. The Schnee Automotive pair were well ahead and the rest of the field well behind Pyrrha and Weiss. Weiss got a good run off of Beacon Curve, drafted Pyrrha down the backstretch, and made her move on entry to Merlot Curve. She got ahead but overdrove the corner, sliding wide and allowing Pyrrha to retake the spot. Weiss got another run of Champion's Curve and drafted past Pyrrha as they entered Highlight. Pyrrha slipped in behind Weiss and drafted her up the hill to Beacon Curve. As the last moment, Pyrrha jumped right and slid up the inside as they rounded the turn to retake the spot. Weiss challenged a few more times of the next couple laps, but it was clear that Pyrrha was just saving her equipment, only going fast enough to keep Weiss behind.

Winter made no attempts to pass May. May was not sure if it was an issue of speed or if Winter was just biding her time. On lap 17 the point became moot. As May wound her car through Champion's Curve, the left front suspension collapsed. She skidded off the track and made light contact with the armco. When May got back to the garage a little later she was furious. She was winning and the car had let her down. She gave the team an earful with particularly harsh words for the mechanics responsible for her suspension. They were not thrilled by the abuse, but they understood May's anger and appreciated her will to win. Besides, it was nothing like the lashing they would get from Mr. Schnee when they got back to the factory.

On lap 27 Weiss' left rear tire let go on the run down to Merlot Curve. The car began to slide but she somehow maintained control and brought it to a safe stop. Her race was over. So much for her points lead. The news got worse for Team Juniper on lap 33. Pyrrha's transmission began to fail. She was stuck with only the top two gears. For most of the lap it was not much of a problem, but in the slower sections it was disastrous. Soon she was caught and passed by Ruby, Neptune, Yang and Sun. Then the top gear failed. There was no point in continuing so Pyrrha pulled into the pits and retired from the race.

Attrition continued to decimate the frontrunners. Yang's engine began to sour and Sun passed her. She began to fall back but stayed in the race, hoping her engine would make it to the finish. By then Ruby had managed to pull a gap on Neptune and Sun as the SeaMonkeys F1 pair had a spirited battle. They rounded the track, swapping positions with the help of the draft on just about every long straightaway. It was now a battle for the podium and neither was willing to yield. It was finally decided on lap 49 of 54. Sun got a good run on Neptune heading up the hill to Highlight. He moved right and shot by just as the pair entered the corner. Sun's car became unsettled mid corner and he just barely kept it going in a straight line, sliding wide into the grass at corner exit. By the time he got it back on track Neptune was too far ahead to catch.

The battle between Reese, Coco, Arslan, Dew and Fox would normally have been meaningless, but with so many front-runners falling out there were now points on the line. As the final lap began, all five were together. Coco and Arslan drafted past Reese down the frontstretch as Fox tried to do the same to Dew. Dew threw a block and Fox was forced to back off. With Coco and Arslan passing, Reese was forced off line for the corner and got a bad exit. Dew had no such trouble and passed her on the run up to Beacon Curve. Arslan darted right and slipped by Coco on entry to the corner as Dew closed in on the pair. Reese blocked right as Fox attempted to pass on the left. Though it was not the preferred line, the stackup caused by Coco and Arslan's battle and Dew getting held up by it allowed him to complete the pass. Coco and Arslan were side-by-side on the run downhill toward Merlot Curve.

Arslan could not keep her car on the left edge of the track as the pair entered the kink. She slid right and smacked into the side of Coco's car. Their wheels interlocked and both went off the track, running through the grass on the inside of the corner. They shot back across the track and slammed into the armco. Dew had seen the crash coming and slowed. She swept by just after the pair slid back across the track. Slowing to avoid Arslan and Coco allowed Fox and Reese to catch Dew. Fox made an ill-advised lunge on entry to The Chicane. He had to slam on the brakes and spin his car to avoid contact, allowing Reese to sweep past. Fox did a complete spin and continued on, but he was out of the battle.

Reese got right on Dew's transmission, following her down toward Champion's Corner. She moved right and Dew blocked. Reese moved left and Dew blocked again. Reese went back to the right and got beside Dew just as the pair entered the turn. Reese had a bit too much speed and slid up out of the racing line. Dew pounced and dove to the inside. The pair came off the corner even and drag raced to the line with Dew just barely taking the position.

The final results saw Winter winning by a wide margin over Ruby, Neptune, Sun, Yang and Dew. Fox, Emerald, Sage and Scarlet rounded out the top 10. Neptune was ecstatic to have his first career podium. Dew was equally excited for her first points. On the podium for the third race in a row, Ruby could hardly believe it. Sun and Yang were both disappointed, sure they could have done better. The Team Juniper pair took a huge hit in the points. They would have a lot of catching up to do in the final three races. Still, the points were so close that it was anybody's championship, and suddenly there was a new challenger. Ruby had suddenly propelled herself into the title race.

* * *

Standings after eight races:

1st - Winter Schnee - 33

2nd - Weiss Schnee - 30

3rd - Yang Xiao-Long - 29

4th - Pyrrha Nikos - 27

4th - May Zedong - 27

6th - Ruby Rose - 23

7th - Sun Wukong - 15

8th - Neptune Vasilias - 6

9th - Arslan Atlan - 4

10th - Coco Adel - 2

10th - Reese Chloris - 2

12th - Fox Alistair - 1

12th - Dew Gayl - 1

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Shadering is based on the Osterreichring.

\- Mercury's accident is vaguely based on Michael Schumacher's 1999 crash at Silverstone.

\- Roman's crash is based on the 1971 fatal crash of Jo Siffert. He crashed heavily at Brands Hatch in a non-championship race. Unable to extract himself from the car, he died of smoke inhalation when all the trackside fire extinguishers were found to be defective.

\- For once the level of attrition from mechanical failures is close to period accurate. Most races at the time saw fewer than half the runners make the finish.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- There was no fatal crash in the 1970 Austrian GP. There were no fatal F1 crashed at the Osterreichring until Mark Donohue was killed there in 1975. He walked away from the crash but died of a brain hemorrhage the following day.

\- Drafting battles like the one described were common of Monza in this era but not Austria. Understeer caused by aerodynamic disruption from following other cars was a bigger issue in the fast and sweeping corners of the Osterreichring, effectively spreading groups out.


	13. Forever Fall GP

Chapter 13

 _Two Years Earlier_

Races at the Forever Fall Forest Circuit could and often did produce random results. It looked like another weird one as the race approached its end. Sure, Pyrrha and Yang were near the front, but the rest were a strange mix of drivers who had never done anything worthwhile. Sage was in the lead, at least for this lap. Bolin, Emerald and Cardin were all preposterously in the mix for the win. Their teams had taken the wings off their cars hoping for extra speed. They got it. They also lost any shred of control, not that handling was particularly important at a track like this.

Yang's car had been modified too. Her wings had been reduced to the smallest size Ruby would allow. Still she had trouble keeping up with the wingless cars. Pyrrha was struggling right along with her, but for a different reason. Pyrrha had ditched the wings entirely in hopes of more outright speed. Unfortunately, her chassis did not have the kind of mechanical grip Yang's did. Without the wings it also produced just a little lift. The corners were a nightmare even if it did scream down the straights faster than any of the competition.

With just five laps remaining Sage led from Emerald, Cardin and Bolin as they exited the final corner. Yang was just hanging on to the back of the pack after slipping past a struggling Pyrrha in the corner. Pyrrha came rocketing out of the turn after a bad entry but great exit and passed Yang by the time they cars reached the start/finish line. She had a damn good run and might just carry that momentum to the lead. She effortlessly passed Bolin just after the pits, then Cardin just past where the old high-banked oval split off from the circuit.

Emerald used the draft to get a good run on Sage. She moved right to pass as they neared the end of the straight. She should have checked her mirrors first. At just that moment Pyrrha was coming up alongside. The track was not wide enough for all three of them. Pyrrha almost slipped by before Emerald clipped her left-rear. Pyrrha's car hooked sharply left, spinning across the track just in front of Sage. Sage missed the accident by inches as Pyrrha continued on, spearing head-on into the armco. The front end popped up in the air as the armco bent back from the force of the impact and the shattered car pirouetted on its rear tires. The front slammed back down and the car continued on, sliding into the armco straight off the first turn side-first. It was still going terrifyingly fast and on impact it simply flipped up and over the barrier, heading for the forest.

Emerald's car also spun. Cardin and Bolin were not as lucky as Sage and both were tangled up by the out-of-control Emerald. Cardin's car was deflected to the right, slamming into the armco there before bouncing back across the track. Bolin barely made contact with Emerald but it was enough to send him into a slide that soon intersected with Cardin as he bounced back across the track. All three cars slid into the armco near where Pyrrha had gone over, their combined speed and weight effectively flattening the barrier as they plowed straight through before coming to a rest just short of the trees.

The race went on. Sage should have won but his motor expired with just half a lap remaining, allowing Yang to steal the victory. Winter ended up a very distant second, followed by Weiss in third. Not that the drivers really cared. After winning, Yang did not return to the pits. She drove to the first corner and brought her car to a stop before the scene of carnage. Winter did the same when she arrived and the pair waded in, unsure what horrors they would uncover.

Horrors indeed. Emerald, Cardin and Bolin were beat up but mostly unhurt. Still, their cars were streaked with blood. A track worked unlucky enough to be behind the armco they had obliterated had been crushed and torn apart beneath the tangled storm of metal. His mangled corpse was impossibly to identify visually, but a nametag pinned to his stained and shredded shirt gave a name to the tragedy. Still their exploration was not done. Pyrrha's car had gone flipping into the forest, and with the carnage closer at hand, no one had bothered to see if she had survived. Most no doubt assumed her dead after such a violent accident.

Yang and Winter followed the trail of debris deeper into the forest. Pyrrha's car had deflected off of at least one tree, as evidenced by the suspension components left embedded deep in its bark. Finally the pair stood before the hulk of crumpled metal. It lay upside down in the dead leaves and detritus of the forest floor. Both were afraid of what they would find when it was turned over. The engine was no longer attached, instead burning against a tree a few meters away, and the cockpit was bent at a pretty nasty angle around where Pyrrha's knees would be.

Then, a ray of hope. "Hello?" A muffled voice called from the wreckage. It was clearly Pyrrha's voice! Winter and Yang rushed to the car. With all the strength they could muster, they rolled it onto its side, the downward vertical bend in the cockpit preventing it from being set fully upright. Winter and Yang stared at Pyrrha in disbelief as she undid her belts and began wriggling out of the crumpled car. After a moment of shock the pair helped Pyrrha out. Once free of the car, Pyrrha dusted herself off and took a deep breath. "I thought I was a goner." She said.

"You thought you were?!" Yang shouted. "How are you so calm?! How are you even okay?!"

"Well, there was no sense getting worked up over it." Pyrrha shrugged. "I was just along for the ride. I'm lucky the cockpit bent where and how it did though. If it went another way it would have broken my legs. As it was it just bent my knees pretty hard."

"Unbelievable." Winter said, shaking her head. "I've never seen someone walk away from a crash like this. Do you have any idea how lucky you are?"

"I'm very lucky." Pyrrha confirmed. "I was almost F1's first posthumous champion."

"I can't believe you're so calm!" Yang yelled. "You almost died!"

"But I didn't." Pyrrha said. "Is everyone else alright?"

Winter shook her head. "We lost a marshal." She said. "The other drivers are okay but they're pretty shaken up."

"Someone died…" Pyrrha started.

"It wasn't because of you." Yang cut her off. "That crash wasn't your fault and your car didn't kill him."

"Yes, if anyone's to blame it's the people running this track." Winter said. "The track is too fast, the armco isn't strong enough, and there isn't enough runoff room. There should never have been a marshal stationed in that spot either."

"I still feel terrible." Pyrrha said.

"I'm just happy you're alright." Yang sighed. She stared at Pyrrha for a moment. "Oh crap, I should probably get back. You too Winter. It'll be an interesting podium without the top two finishers."

"You finished first and second and you came here?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think I can speak for Winter when I say that your safety is our main concern." Yang said. "The podium can wait. I don't think there will be much celebrating anyway."

* * *

 _Present Day_

It was Thursday night before the Forever Fall Grand Prix. The sun had just set but the moon shone brightly. Yang was alone, sitting beside the stone monument to Summer Rose. Well, she thought she was alone. "I wouldn't have expected to find you here all alone." Pyrrha said as she walked up. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"What are you doing here?" Yang asked.

"I'm just making sure you're alright." Pyrrha replied. "It's been over an hour."

"Has it?" Yang sighed. She sounded depressed. "I guess I just got lost in thought."

Pyrrha sat on the grass beside Yang. "What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked. "Something's been on your mind all week. I can tell."

"That obvious, huh?" Yang said with an uneasy laugh. "I guess I...understand how dad and Summer must have felt." She took a deep breath. "You know, Summer wasn't my real mother. My birth mother left me with my father as soon as I was born. I think I can understand why now. Dad always said she left because he wouldn't stop racing. She must have been so scared for him. I think she thought having a kid would convince him to quit, but that was never going to happen. It must have finally been too much."

"This has to do with me, doesn't it?" Pyrrha said.

"Sort of." Yang confirmed. "Summer wasn't my real mother but she treated me like I was her daughter. When she died, dad was crushed, and I was crushed too. Ruby was too young to really understand, but I knew. Before that, I had never really worried about my parents when they were racing. I knew it was dangerous, but it never hit me that they could die until it happened. When I started racing, part of the reason was that dad and Summer were so happy when they were racing. I wanted to feel that for myself. They must have been terrified for each other, but something about driving made it worth it, and I had to experience it." She sighed. "I guess I never had to deal with what they dealt with until now. Sure, I worried about my friends, but they were just my friends. Now it's my sister and the woman I love putting their lives on the line and it's a lot harder. I don't know if I can go on like this."

"You know you can." Pyrrha said. "Your parents did it, your sister had to deal with it even when she was just a mechanic, and I'm doing it. It's tough, but in the end we just have to believe that everything will work out alright."

"I want to believe." Yang said. "I could believe until I got here. This stone here, this shows just how mistaken that belief is. When I come here, it's impossible to ignore." Yang turned her head around and looked back toward the track. "When I saw your car flying into the trees, I was sure I watched you die."

"That was two years ago, and I came away without a scratch." Pyrrha said.

"Then seeing your crash at the 500 and then on Patch, it's almost too much." Yang continued. "Any one of them could have killed you. Hell, all of them _should_ have killed you. I feel like I've watched you die twice already this year. It was bad enough when I thought you were just someone I would always admire from afar. Now that we're together…"

"Yang, I'm going to be fine." Pyrrha cut her off. "You're going to be fine. Ruby's going to be fine. All our friends will be fine. That's all there is to it. If let your mind go down this path it'll destroy you. It's a dead end. Ruby's not going to quit, I'm not going to quit, and you're not going to quit. On Sunday we're going to get in our cars and race and there won't be any time to think about all this. After you were born your father must have been terrified of leaving you an orphan, but he still got in the car. When he got together with Summer, they kept racing, even though they knew how it could end. We're going to do the same. If I die out there, at least it'll be doing something I love, something that makes me happy. I'd much rather that than live a long, boring life wondering what might have been. I know you agree with me."

"I guess you're right." Yang said. "There's no point in worrying about something I can't control." She laughed. "You know, I feel like I've had this same conversation with Ruby, except with me in your position. Maybe I should learn to practice what I preach."

"That's better." Pyrrha said. "I'm glad I could help."

"I'm glad you could help too." Yang said, finally managing a smile. "I suppose it's time to head back and leave the past where it belongs."

* * *

After practice the results looked like a foregone conclusion. With much smaller wings, the Schnee Automotive cars and their powerful engines were well ahead of everyone else. Winter was well ahead of May at that. It did not look as if there would be a competitive race for the win, but things got very interesting further down the order. Having removed their front wings entirely and replaced their rear wings with smaller airfoils, the Team Juniper pair was looking fast. Going just about as fast were the Beacon GP cars. Their front wings remained mostly unchanged but at the back the wing was now tiny. Team Haven had their own tiny wings and speed to compete with Beacon and Juniper. Even the Auburn Racing Team was fast enough to hope for points. Even if the race for pole was not, qualifying was going to be interesting.

At the beginning of time trials, Winter set a blistering lap. May set a quick one as well but was clearly not in the same league. Both decided to sit on their times as none of the other runners could even get close. As the session neared its conclusion, Reese sat third followed by Ruby, Pyrrha, Sage, Yang, Scarlet, Arslan and Weiss. All were well within reach of one another and as the drivers went out for one last lap, they did so knowing the starting order would be jumbled again. Two drivers decided to go for broke. Pyrrha had the team entirely remove her rear wing. Shockingly, so did Ruby. If she was afraid of driving at the track that had taken her mother, she was certainly not showing it.

Ruby kept her car wide as she entered the final corner. At just the right moment she hit the throttle and dove to the inside line as the corner unwound onto the frontstretch. She crossed the line to begin her lap and rocketed toward turn 1. As Ruby neared the end of the straight, the engine screamed and stuttered, clearly pushed to and probably past its maximum. No matter, it only had to last one lap. She barely slowed as she entered the first turn, a long, sweeping right-hander. Ruby was back on the throttle almost immediately, powering out of the corner before braking as she swung through the left-hand kink that preceded the track's tightest corners. Braking hard once the track straightened out, Ruby slung her car through the sharp right that followed. After a short straight she hit the brakes again and slid through the banked right-hander that came next. Ruby thundered down the straight, first downhill, passing under the old oval, then back up. She only had to brake lightly for the left-hander before powering onto the backstretch. She flew toward the final corner at incredible speed. Just before reaching the final corner she was hard on the brakes. The car squirmed as Ruby slowed it from its suicidal pace to a speed that would allow it to make the corner. She dove to the apex, getting on the throttle as the corner unwound, sliding her car to the left-hand edge of the track. Seconds later she was across the line.

Ruby's lap was fast, but not fast enough. Winter and May held the top two positions, followed by Pyrrha, then Ruby. Both had thrown caution to the wind, and it had paid off. Still, after the white-knuckle terror of driving around the circuit without wings, both were well aware that what they had done was reckless and stupid. It was also unsustainable. The wings would be back for the race. Arslan jumped up the order to fifth, followed by Weiss, Yang, Scarlet, Reese and Sage. It was going to be an interesting one.

* * *

For the first time, Ruby did not throw up before the race. She had been expecting to, but it never came. Perhaps the magnitude of racing at the track where her mother had died was so great that it did not hit her. Perhaps she was finally at ease. Even she did not really know the answer. She just rolled around the track with the other drivers for their parade lap, then returned to the grid and waited. The starter raised his flag and dropped it almost as quickly. With the screech of tires and the roar of engines, the cars were off, thundering toward the first corner.

Winter and May arrived at turn 1 side-by-side. Winter was on the outside, not the preferred line, but she was brave. She kept her foot down and swept around May and into the lead. Pyrrha and Ruby both got good start, arriving at the first corner third and fourth. It did not really matter though, as the draft and relative evenness of the cars behind meant that there would be no escaping the pack. By the end of the first lap Winter and May already had a sizable advantage. Behind them, a train of eight cars was already bunched up, swapping positions continuously between them. Further back were more such clusters, ruled by the air more than driver skill or car quality.

On lap 9 it was all over for Winter. Her engine shook itself apart, leaving her to coast to a stop in the grass beside the track just before the first turn. May's race was not much longer. On lap 17 her engine failed as well. She entered the pits trailing a spectacular plume of white smoke. The Schnee Automotive engine tuners had set up the motors for maximum horsepower, but the reliability had suffered greatly. After her outburst in Shade, the team expected May to be livid. Instead she went to every crew member, apologized for her previous behavior, and offered her full support in the face of what was a disastrous day for the team.

Suddenly the gaggle racing for third was now racing for the win. It was really anybody's race. They swapped positions almost too frequently to track and all took turns leading. At the back Yang, Pyrrha and Weiss settled in. They knew none of it mattered until the end. There was no point in mixing it up, risking a crash or mechanical failure, until the time was right. They hung back off the group, just close enough to keep in touch with their draft. At the time of their choosing they could get right back into the fight.

Ruby did everything she could to stay in front, to lead every lap, but aerodynamics made that impossible. The car in front simply had to push more air out of the way than those following in its wake. Ruby was smart enough to not block, and when Reese or Sage got a run, Ruby would just fall in behind and wait for the momentum to shift to her. She was learning. Winning the race would take a perfectly timed run and a little luck. There was nothing Ruby could do about the luck, but she could at least get the timing down.

Mechanical issues took their toll on the field. In addition to taking out the Schnee Automotive pair, engine failures claimed Sage, Russel, Dew, Adam, and Nolan. Gwen fell out when a blown tire sent her into the armco at the exit of the first turn. The crash looked nasty but Gwen was unhurt. Mercury retired with a suspension failure that he luckily noticed before a corner and the resultant high-speed crash. Coco and Emerald had transmission issues and an electrical problem ended Fox's day.

With only 2 of 55 laps remaining, it was go time. Running line astern, Yang, Pyrrha and Weiss drafted up the right of the cars ahead as they careened down the frontstretch. By the time they reached the corner Yang was up to second behind Reese with Pyrrha falling into third and Weiss fifth behind Ruby. For the next few corners they ran in line before mixing it up as they launched onto the backstretch. Yang jumped out of line with a good run on Reese and Ruby followed her, moving just in time to prevent Pyrrha from making the move herself. As they reached the final corner, Yang shot out into the lead. Behind her, Ruby and Reese were side-by-side with Arslan and Pyrrha side-by-side behind them.

Ruby got the better of Reese as they exited the final corner and crossed the line to start the final lap. Now Weiss was charging. She flew up the right side, passing the others as if launched out of a cannon. She made it all the way to the back of Yang's car by the first turn. Ruby managed to hold onto third, but behind her Pyrrha fell back behind Arslan and Scarlet. Rounding the final corner outside Ruby had ruined Reese's momentum, but her race was not over yet. After the pair of tight right-handers, Reese got a great run. She shot up the inside of Pyrrha, Scarlet and Arslan. Ruby jumped out of line and stole some of Reese's momentum to get past Weiss. They rounded the left-hander and Ruby locked onto the back of Yang's car. Weiss continued to fall, with Reese and Scarlet getting past. Pyrrha and Arslan had almost wrecked each other in the left-hander and fell back and out of contention when they slowed to avoid crashing.

Reese shot up the inside just before the final corner, but left her braking a bit too late. Yang dove inside and passed her, followed by Ruby who was in the process of getting a great run through the corner. Scarlet got a great run too just behind her. Reese recovered from her mistake and both she and Weiss got good runs off the corner. Yang slipped. Her car oversteered and she had to lift to save it, allowing Ruby, Scarlet, Reese and Weiss to slip past. The four fanned out as they thundered toward the line, passing the checkered flag in a finish that was almost too close to call.

The fans may not have been able to see who had won, but the drivers knew. Ruby pumped her fist in the air as she coasted down the frontstretch. She had timed it just right and crossed the line inches ahead of Reese. Scarlet and Weiss had followed, then Yang, Pyrrha and Arslan. Sun, Cardin and Roy rounded out the top 10 after their own epic battle. It would be the last race at the track to be so fast and chaotic. The next year chicanes would be added to slow the cars in the name of safety, and handling and skill would again be crucial elements of victory.

Ruby made her way to the podium. As she stood on the top step, listening to the national anthem of Patch, she cried. As lucky and flukey as it was, this win was her proudest moment and nothing would ever surpass it. She had won at the track that had taken her mother. The track that had destroyed her family. The track she had feared for so long. Those demons had been exorcised. She stood triumphant, conqueror not just of the race but of years of fear and pain. She was handed her trophy and raised it high overhead. Then, as the fans cheered and emotion overtook her, she vomited.

* * *

Standings after nine races:

1st - Winter Schnee - 33

1st - Weiss Schnee - 33

3rd - Ruby Rose - 32

4th - Yang Xiao-Long - 31

5th - Pyrrha Nikos - 29

6th - May Zedong - 27

7th - Sun Wukong - 15

8th - Reese Chloris - 8

9th - Neptune Vasilias - 6

10th - Arslan Atlan - 4

10th - Scarlet David - 4

12th - Coco Adel - 2

13th - Fox Alistair - 1

13th - Dew Gayl - 1

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The Forever Fall Forest Circuit is based on Monza.

\- Driving a car sans wings is probably what led to the fatal crash of Jochen Rindt in 1970 (may have been a mechanical failure). That and not wearing the crotch straps of his seatbelts. His car busted through some weak armco, struck an upright, and stopped suddenly. Unrestrained from below, he slid down in his seat, below his belts, and the latch slit his throat.

\- Chris Amon ended up in the forest in 1968 and was somehow unhurt. His car ended up hanging from a tree (at least according to his account).

\- Slipstreaming battles that produced seemingly random results were common at Monza before the introduction of chicanes for the 1972 race.

\- Again the attrition rate is relatively accurate to the time period. Monza was harder on engines than almost any other track.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- There was no marshal-killing crash at Monza in 1969 but a track worker was killed by flying debris during the 2000 Italian GP.

\- While the drafting and passing at pre-chicane Monza was intense, it was not quite as intense as depicted.

\- I have never heard of a driver puking on the podium, though a few have thrown up in their helmets mid-race, notably Mark Webber.


	14. Atlas GP

Chapter 14

 _Six Years Ago_

Weiss was looking to make her mark in F2. She did not want to do it with her father's team, but she did need money. Fortunately her sister Winter was happy to set her up with a car to drive and a crew to prepare it. She had run a few races and done rather well with a few podiums and a win. Now with the season about half over, it was time for her home race. Atlasport was the sometime home of the Atlas Grand Prix. It was very different from the Atlas Circuit with massive elevation changes and a focus on handling over outright speed. Weiss had raced at the track in F3 the year before and won, so she was looking forward to running an F2 car there.

Qualifying was a bit of a disappointment. In wet conditions Weiss had only managed fifth, tying her worst start of the season. She was never that great at racing in the rain, but the forecast for race day was better. Sure enough it was sunny and Weiss was confident. Passing would be tricky but there were a few decent spots. If practice times were anything to go by, Weiss was fast enough to win. She had the best car and as far as she was concerned, she was the best driver. There was nothing to worry about.

The flag dropped and the cars were off. Weiss got a good start and made it to the first turn fourth. She fell in line as the track corkscrewed down and to the right. She looked to make a pass on the following straight, but there was no good opportunity so she got back in line again as the track dove down to the left. Next was a sweeping right and Weiss knew it was not a realistic passing opportunity. She bided her time, following the cars ahead as they rocketed down the straight. A flat-out, steeply downhill left was next. After that was Weiss' chance to pass. The track reached the bottom of a valley before rising up to a pair of tight right-handers that together formed what was effectively a double-apex hairpin. Weiss dove to the right just before the first of the pair and got beside the third place driver. She made the place her own as she exited the second of the corners and accelerated onto the backstretch. The backstretch started out uphill, winding through the forest as it headed for a fast and sweeping right-hander. The second place driver decided to make a passing attempt. The leader blocked but it was far too late.

The cars came together, shooting off the track to the right and slamming into the armco that ran near the track on both sides. The leader's car began flipping, shedding parts as it tumbled back across the track right in front of Weiss. She cut right as the car rolled left. She missed the car but not the debris. A piece of metal hit Weiss in the face, just below the brim of her helmet on the left side. It sliced her face from her hairline down to her cheek, shattering her goggles and cutting across her eye.

Weiss drove on stunned. She let off the throttle. As cars streamed past all she could see with her left eye was blood splattered across her broken goggles. But that was a good sign. If she could see blood her eye was intact. What the rest of her face looked like she could only guess. She continued on, driving slowly until she spotted an ambulance. She turned onto the access road and parked her car beside it. She calmly exited her car and walked to the waiting medics. When they saw her the color drained from their faces. From their reaction Weiss knew it was bad.

Weiss' injury looked a lot worse than it actually was. She got a line of stitches and did not even miss the next race. She was left with a very visible scar. Her father was furious and threatened to sue just about everyone involved, from the track to the drivers in the crash to the medics who had attended to Weiss. Winter eventually talked some sense into him. Afterwards, Weiss was not the same driver. She had faced down death and disfigurement and come away with a permanent reminder of the clash. Before she had driven with the sort of passion and reckless abandon that her sister shared. After the accident she was much calmer. She was a tactician. She was also much faster.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Weiss loathed Atlasport. She had only had to race there a few times since her F2 incident - it shared the Atlas GP with other tracks and so was not on the schedule every year - but each time she had to go back the trip came with painful memories. Before the accident she was renowned for her beauty - and still was even with her scar - but when she visited the track she could not help but feel ugly. In public she said her scar was a badge of honor, proof that she was tough and a true race car driver. In private she hated it. It was a reminder of just how close she had come to losing everything, and of the ever-present danger that went along with her profession.

This year though, Weiss had reason to look forward to racing at Atlasport. The track was right in Team Juniper's wheelhouse. She expected that Pyrrha would get the better of her, but she still had a five point cushion. If she could stay close it would be enough, and she was confident that she could stay close. Beacon GP had had a mediocre showing the last time F1 had visited Atlasport and she knew the Schnee Automotive cars were not well suited to the circuit. Her old team had made great strides since, but Team Juniper were the recognized masters of the track and Weiss saw no reason why this race should be any different.

* * *

"You've got something on your mind again." Pyrrha observed.

Yang had been staring off into space, lost in thought, but snapped back to reality. "Oh, yeah, don't worry about it." Yang said. "It has nothing to do with racing. After Forever Fall I finally feel like everything's right with that. Ruby's happy and she's not afraid anymore. The two of us got through that hellish race. I'm going to win the championship…"

"You're going to win huh?" Pyrrha cut her off. "Not if I can do anything about it."

"I figured you'd say that." Yang laughed. "I've seen this conversation before. My parents had it all the time. You'd think being rivals would have strained their relationship, but if anything it brought them closer together. I saw them argue about a lot, you know, the usual stuff couples argue about, but I never saw them argue about racing. There was the occasional friendly jab and a joke at the other's expense here and there, but it was always just fun." She paused, looking into the distance as if reminiscing. Her gaze snapped back to Pyrrha, a big smile on her face. "You don't have a chance of beating me by the way."

"You know, I still can't believe Ruby threw up on the podium." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah, well, drivers are head cases." Yang said. "Just look at the two of us."

* * *

If practice was any indication, it would be a close one. The pairs from Beacon GP and Team Juniper were basically dead even, swapping fast laps and constantly pushing the pace as practice wore on. At the end of the third practice Pyrrha was the fastest, but only just. The surprise came in fifth where May was significantly faster than Winter. Sure, there was a sizable gap to the top 4, but an equally large gap back to sixth. Winter was in danger of losing out to SeaMonkeys F1 but May was well clear. Something about the track apparently agreed with her. Winter was disappointed to have been outrun, but she was happy to see that the team would be in good hands following her retirement.

No one was surprised when qualifying was as close as practice. In the waning moments Ruby led from Pyrrha, Yang and Weiss. May backed up her practice pace and was almost as quick as the top four. Then there was Winter with Sun and Neptune hot on her heels. A few other drivers had put up good times but they were not going to compete with the top 8. Yang desperately wanted to win the pole. At the very least she had to beat Pyrrha. She had to show Pyrrha that she would not have it her own way as she had two years earlier. Yang went out for one last run.

Yang slowed on entry to the final corner, a right-hander called Weiss. She nailed the throttle and got a good run off with just a little wheelspin. After crossing the line to start her lap she was hard on the brakes, diving down and to the right for the first corner. With the wall separating the pits from the track on the inside, it was totally blind and Yang had to trust that there was not a slow or stopped car there. There was not and she blasted out of the corner. She barely lifted for the next corner - Winter - a sweeping downhill left. She had to brake harder as the hill bottomed out and the track wound back to the right for the tight corner called Mantle. The corner seemed to go on forever and Yang had to wait a long time before really getting back on the throttle. When she finally did the back end stepped out as the tires spun but she quickly corrected and got a decent launch onto the straight. The track rose slightly before dropping away to the left for a flat-out sweeper. Yang positioned her car on the left edge of the track and braked hard for the extremely sharp twin right-handers called Vine. She clipped the first apex and swung wide, still braking as she slung her car into the tighter of the two corners. She had no wheelspin for her launch onto the long and critical backstretch. She ran uphill as the track meandered through the woods. As she topped the crest she braked again for the first corner of the Esses. It was a fast and sweeping right-hander but Yang had to slow to set up for the following and much slower left. She had to compromise her line in that corner as well to set up for Weiss. She swung her car around the final turn and rocketed out onto the frontstretch and across the line to complete her lap.

Yang nailed it. She took the pole position just ahead of Pyrrha. Weiss and Ruby followed with May close behind. Sun just beat Winter for sixth and Neptune ended up eighth. Pyrrha was disappointed. Of the frontrunners she was the lowest on points and needed a win to keep her championship hopes alive. Passing at Atlasport was possible but not easy. May was ecstatic. She had finally beaten Winter in a straight up, fair fight. With a little luck she might even end up with a podium finish. Winter was not thrilled but not surprised. Atlasport had never been one of her better tracks. Ruby was disappointed too. She had been unable to improve on her previous best lap time and as a result was beaten out by the three other fast runners. After several races where she had only gotten faster and faster, it was a setback she had not foreseen. Still, all would be well if she could turn it around in the race.

* * *

Ruby got all the puke out before heading for the grid. At least she hoped she had gotten it all out. Throwing up on the podium had been embarrassing to say the least. In any case, that was in the past. Ruby had to focus on the race at hand. She had dug herself a hole in qualifying and it would not be easy to work herself out during the race. Unfortunately, the best opportunity to pass - the start - would likely not be realistic. The run to the first corner was too short to make up much ground so, unless the drivers in front of her made serious mistakes, Ruby would probably have to make her passes the old fashioned way.

The cars rolled around the track for their parade lap before forming up on the grid. The starter raised his flag and the drivers revved their engines. After a longer than usual wait, the flag dropped and the race was on. Pyrrha got a better start than Yang and the pair headed into the first turn side-by-side. Pyrrha had the preferred line on the right but Yang kept her pinched to the inside edge of the track. They exited the corner even but Yang had more momentum and the line for turn 2 so Pyrrha conceded the position, for now. Weiss and Ruby got decent starts and rounded the first corner third and fourth. May got a blinding start but the short run to the corner stymied her efforts. Sun slipped through the first corner ahead of Winter with Neptune just behind.

Pyrrha was immediately on the attack. While the drivers' tires and brakes were still cold her superior aerodynamics would give her a temporary edge. She peeked to the right on the entry to Mantle but it was more of a decoy than a real passing attempt. Yang was not fooled and Pyrrha had to fall in line again. As they braked hard uphill for Vine Pyrrha shot up the right side. It was an overly ambitious move and she slid wide, allowing Yang to slip back into the lead as they thundered onto the backstretch. Pyrrha tucked in behind Yang to draft as they approached The Esses but she decided not to attack. Weiss was close now and Pyrrha could not afford to lose a position with a badly executed passing attempt.

Ruby was finding it difficult to keep up with Weiss over the early laps. It was frustrating. She had never really had trouble keeping up with the drivers that were effectively her corporate teammates before. May was having no such difficulty. Despite her car's general lack of grip she was all over Ruby. Further back, Neptune had gotten past a struggling Winter, but May was making the car work in a way her teammate could not. As Ruby and May raced down the backstretch on lap 9, May got a good run. Ruby preemptively took the inside line to block but May shot to her left. When they reached The Esses May powered around on the outside, drifting her car through the right-hander at a scary angle. Somehow she held on and secured the position.

A few laps later May caught up to Weiss. Weiss had never anticipated seeing May's car in her mirror after how slow the Schnee Automotive pair had been all weekend. Weiss had fallen back from Yang and Pyrrha but she was still posting fast times. May was just faster. Weiss made passing much harder than Ruby had. She knew the proper lines to take for defense and when she could ignore May's feints. Lap after lap May looked for an opening but Weiss was not going to give her anything. The pair's battle allowed Ruby to close in. May knew she needed to make the pass soon or else have to deal with a three way battle.

On lap 37 of 90, Weiss and May were still nose-to-tail. Weiss rounded turn 1 then edged to the right side of the track to prepare for Winter corner. There was no need to block because it was basically impossible to pass there. That did not stop May from trying. She stepped out to the left, trying to take the inside line, but had to slow too much for the corner because of her shallow entry. Weiss was able to cut across the track in front of her as they entered the turn. That was not the worst of it. The sudden loss of downforce on the front of May's car as Weiss disrupted the airflow caused it to become unsettled. It understeered toward the outside edge of the track and when May got out of the throttle and turned to correct it, the car snap-oversteered. May spun off into the grass and slid inexorably into the tire-fronted concrete barrier. It was not a hard hit, but it was the end of her race. May was furious with herself. She had been pushing the car too hard. She had been pushing herself too hard. The desire to beat Winter had distracted her from the most important goal: finish the race.

Now that she did not have to worry about May, Weiss began pulling away from Ruby again. Up front, however, things were closer. May's extended battle with Weiss had opened up a big gap to the lead pair. Pyrrha had spent much of the intervening forty laps hanging back and saving her equipment. Now as the race passed its halfway point, it was time to attack once again. Pyrrha had the faster car and knew it. She just needed to find the right place to make a pass. Eventually she settled on the backstretch and The Esses. If she could get a good enough draft to get beside Yang's car, she was confident she could beat her through the corner no matter which line she had. It was just about setting it up now. She bided her time, making dummy runs to try to time the move. Yang knew Pyrrha was up to something but there was nothing she could do other than hopefully block the move when it came.

Sun had a scary incident when his suspension failed in the left-hander before Vine. Under maximum load at the bottom of the valley, his right-front suspension - damaged from hitting the kerbs too hard - collapsed. His car skidded off the track to the right, ran through the grass then shot back across the track as it wound across his path. His car got briefly airborne before slamming into the tire-fronted concrete barrier head-on. The front end of his car was crushed, enough so that his pedals had moved, but he was not seriously hurt. He limped out of the car with a sprained ankle and some nasty bruises on his feet.

Winter dropped back further and further. Her car did not have good single lap pace and she was finding that it did not have long run pace either. In fact, the long run pace was even worse. Soon she was battling with Gwen who was having the best race of her career. Winter knew it was a foregone conclusion. If she got into a battle with Gwen, one she knew she would eventually lose, it would cost both of them time. That would allow more drivers to catch up and cost Winter more positions. As they exited Weiss corner onto the frontstretch, Winter pulled over to the right and lifted, allowing Gwen to pass without costing either driver much time.

On lap 79 Pyrrha was ready to make her move. She hung back a little through Vine and got a good run off. Combined with the draft off of Yang's car, she built up a powerful head of steam. Yang saw her coming and blocked right. Pyrrha had expected the move and never intended to pass on that side. She swept to the left of Yang, the pair running side-by-side as they braked for the first of The Esses. Yang had the preferred line on the right for the right-hander but Pyrrha hung tough. Yang pulled ahead slightly despite Pyrrha's best efforts, and they entered the second corner still side-by-side. Now Pyrrha was on the preferred line for the left-hander and she began to edge ahead. Still the battle was not decided. In Weiss corner Yang had the preferred line for the right-hander, but Pyrrha kept her pinched to the inside edge of the track. Yang spun her tires badly as she attempted to accelerate out and it was all Pyrrha needed. She beat Yang to turn 1 to secure the lead.

In the closing laps Pyrrha pulled away from Yang. Their cars and driving skills may have been nearly even, but Yang had used up her tires. Weiss was still a distant third with Ruby a still more distant fourth at the finish. Neptune took fifth and Gwen took the final point in sixth. Winter, Fox, Reese and Mercury rounded out the top 10. Winter's poor finish meant she would likely lose the championship. She had hoped to retire on top but from the beginning of the year she had been realistic about her chances. The other drivers were younger than she was, and they were damn good besides. Still, with one race to go she could hold her head high. She was not retiring as some washed-up has-been. She was a champion, still fighting for the title with the young guns. The rest of the championship race was incredibly close with a three-way tie for first and Ruby only two points back of that. Though she considered herself out of the running, Winter was only four points back. The problem was that if any of the lead three finished second, it would not matter what Winter did, and she was not expecting to be fast at Mountain Glenn anyway. She could dream, but another title was highly unlikely.

* * *

Standing after ten races:

1st - Pyrrha Nikos - 37

1st - Yang Xiao-Long - 37

1st - Weiss Schnee - 37

4th - Ruby Rose - 35

5th - Winter Schnee - 33

6th - May Zedong - 27

7th - Sun Wukong - 15

8th - Reese Chloris - 8

8th - Neptune Vasilias - 8

10th - Arslan Atlan - 4

10th - Scarlet David - 4

12th - Coco Adel - 2

13th - Fox Alistair - 1

13th - Gwen Darcy - 1

13th - Dew Gayl - 1

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Atlasport is based on Mosport, now Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

\- The Atlas Grand Prix stands in for the Canadian GP. It was the Mexican GP in my previous story, but with no Mexican GP in 1971 and a limited number of locations in the RWBY universe, I decided to switch it over.

\- I can tell you for a fact that turn 1 at Mosport is blind. I used to be a professional sim racer (that's racing on the PC for real money). One race I came flying around turn 1 to find a car stopped sideways right on the racing line. I nailed it in the door and frontflipped over it. Thank God it was only a virtual race because that would have hurt me like hell and probably killed the guy I hit if it was real.

\- Foot and leg injuries are the most common injuries sustained in both racing car and road accidents.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- International F2 did not exist in 1965.

\- There was no armco at Mosport in 1965.

\- It was hard to find much solid info on Mosport from 1971, so I used a more modern layout. As such there is probably too much in the way of concrete barriers and not enough dirt banks.

\- A three-way tie heading into the final race would be unprecedented, particularly in this era when championships were routinely decided with several races remaining.


	15. Getting Away

**Author's Note:** Warning, this chapter is pretty much pure shipping. If you're not interested, the flashback and the part after the final line break are racing action.

* * *

Chapter 15

 _Three Years Ago_

It would all come down to one race. The Atlas Grand Prix was the final race of the season and the title race was close. Yang had a one point advantage over Weiss. Much like the previous year, Yang had been dominant. She had five wins to Weiss' three but she had been held back by a series of DNF's resulting from mechanical failures and crashes. Yang was fast but sometimes she could be her own worst enemy. Weiss, on the other hand, was having a perfect season. She had only failed to finish one race and was on the podium for almost every grand prix. Her equipment seemed bulletproof compared to Yang's, but part of that was down to driving style. Weiss treated her car with care and only went as fast as she needed to go. On the other hand, Yang was not one to hold anything back and she paid for it with broken cars as often as it won her races.

Beacon GP had been crushing the competition, winning eight of eleven races and capturing the pole for ten. They saw no reason that dominance should not continue in the finale. Then Team Juniper sprung a surprise. They had had a frustrating two years. After winning the title as a rookie, Pyrrha had three wins between the two following seasons. Jaune had still never scored points. Lately, Pyrrha was having trouble scoring points too. She had the same engines as Beacon GP, but her chassis could not match what Ruby produced. About halfway through the season, Team Juniper effectively gave up. While other teams were working on refining their cars they moved on to the next year's challenger. Now it had arrived, just a few months earlier.

To call Team Juniper's car radical would be an understatement. Instead of thin airfoils on spindly stanchions, its wings were integrated into the bodywork. And they were big. Nora had designed the car and she was never one for subtlety. Those big wings would surely come in handy at the twisting Atlas Circuit. Also modified was the cooling intake. Instead of a hole in the front of the car to funnel air to the radiators, the front narrowed to a closed wedge. The intakes were moved to pods on the sides of the car. What the car would lose in aerodynamic drag from its wings, it gained from not having a gaping hole in the nose.

Only Pyrrha had the upgraded car for now, but only Pyrrha mattered. Jaune could have a rocketship and he would still probably finish in the back. In practice it was immediately clear just how advanced the Team Juniper design was. No one could come close. The car was a paradigm shift. Everything else on the grid was immediately rendered obsolete and the teams were left scrambling. Even Ruby, recognized as the best mechanic in the sport, was caught out. To her aerodynamics were an afterthought. First you built a good chassis, then you bolted on some wings. That would clearly not be good enough anymore.

Pyrrha's dominance continued into qualifying. She set a track record with her first lap and did not bother to run a second. A few seconds slower, Yang took second and Weiss third. The pair had gone from the undisputed masters to decidedly second-best. It was a shock to be sure. They hoped things would be closer the following year once Ruby had a chance to build an updated car - it would not, Pyrrha won the title going away - but for now they had to focus on the present. It was simple. Weiss needed to score two points more than Yang. If she did not, Yang would be champion. Weiss had home field advantage, but Yang had the starting position.

The race got off to a fairly uneventful start. Pyrrha predictably shot off into the distance. She was on her way to lapping the field, most of it more than once. Yang and Weiss both got decent starts, running in the positions in which they had started. The rest of the field could not keep up. Weiss was in position to lose and she knew it. Yang was driving an uncharacteristically measured race and Weiss knew she could not count on her teammate breaking. She had to make a pass. Yang was not going to make that easy.

Weiss tried using the draft to pass on the track's fast section. Yang would just wait for the next long straight and be right back in front. They swapped spots over and over but neither could gain a significant advantage. Weiss tired the first turn, the hairpin, even The Esses, anywhere she might be able to make a pass stick, but Yang was not having it. She was too quick and too good a blocker. The cars and drivers were just too evenly matched. Measured and intelligent moves were not working, so Weiss took a page from Yang's playbook.

Weiss looked to pass on entry to every corner. She knew she was not going to make the move stick, but that was not the point. Yang began to speed up. She altered her lines to block. Her measured pace disappeared even as Weiss continued to take it easy. As the laps wound down, Weiss' strategy began to bear fruit. Yang's tires were shot. Driving hard on unorthodox lines to keep Weiss at bay had worn them almost to the cords. Weiss' tires were not in great shape, but they were better. As the final lap began she knew she had the title as good as won. Yang struggled around and Weiss did not even attack. Yang slipped and slid through The Esses, getting a horrible launch as her bare tires could find no purchase on exit. Weiss pounced. She swept around Yang as they careened down the backstretch, heading for the final corner, Pear Tree. Yang tried to pass up the inside but her worn tires did not grip. She slid wide, just barely coming up short of the armco that lined the track, and Weiss dove to the inside to retake the position. With a strong exit off the corner, Weiss pulled away and made it to the line to finish second. Her six points to Yang's four meant Weiss was champion. As she had maintained all season, smarts could beat outright speed. Yang learned the lesson, but it would be three years before she could really put it to use.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Many years ago Taiyang and Summer would spend the weeks prior to the Mountain Glenn Grand Prix vacationing near the track. They would tour the region's many wineries, enjoy the natural beauty, and just generally relax together. It was a place where they could escape their worries. No racing, no commitments, no kids, just them. Yang decided to revive the tradition with Pyrrha. To her surprise, Pyrrha had readily agreed to the trip. A week or so in a small lakeside cabin was not exactly Yang's idea of an exciting time, but with Pyrrha any time could be a good time. Pyrrha apparently felt the same about Yang.

They arrived separately. Their relationship was not yet public, so far only known to their close friends. There would be a media presence wherever either of them went, but the less the better and showing up together would likely turn some heads. Pyrrha only had an address. Yang had told her it was a cabin beside the lake below the track. Pyrrha took a taxi and upon arriving found a small, non-descript house with the most conspicuous yellow sports car she had ever seen sitting out front. It was basically identical to the Nevermore Yang and later Pyrrha had driven to victory in the 24 Hours of Vytal, a gift from the car company. Painted bright yellow with Yang's logo emblazoned on a few spots, it would be impossible to not know who was driving it. That was Yang though, she never cared much about the attention. If anything, she reveled in it. She did respect Pyrrha's wish to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible, but Yang had clearly not given much thought to the issue when she picked her ride.

Pyrrha approached the front door. Yang opened it before she could even knock. "I heard you coming." Yang explained. In truth she had been bored out of her mind, eagerly anticipating Pyrrha's arrival. "So, what should we do today? We could hit some of the wineries, there are couple of great little shops in town, or we could even go swimming. The water's a little cold though."

Yang had driven in the previous day but Pyrrha had just flown from her home in Mistral. It was a long and exhausting trip, even on a private jet. "Maybe we could just relax for a while." Pyrrha suggested. "I'm pretty tired."

Yang looked a bit disappointed but the expression soon passed from her face. She stepped aside and waved Pyrrha inside. "That's good too." She said. "Just as long as you let me take you to dinner tonight. I know the best steak place but they only have the good stuff one night a week."

Pyrrha stepped through the door and looked around. The accommodations were very simple. There was a couch facing a large window that overlooked the lake, a small kitchen and a dining table, all in the same room. There was a radio and a few books but no television. There was a map spread out on the table with a bunch of points circled, wineries as Pyrrha would later learn. "This place is quaint." She said. "I like it."

"It's a bit boring." Yang admitted. "Oh, over on the right, first door is the bathroom, second is a closet and the third is the bedroom." Pyrrha stashed her luggage in the bedroom. She would unpack later. The bedroom featured a queen-sized bed and another big window overlooking the lake. "I hope it's up to your standards." Yang said.

"This place is perfect." Pyrrha said. Her own home was not very different. It was a little bigger with a few more amenities, but it too was simple and located off the beaten path. Unfortunately her job responsibilities meant she did not get to spend much time there. She instead spent most of her time living out of an apartment in Vale. It was luxurious and exclusive, but it was also lifeless and planted her squarely in the public eye. "How did you find it?"

"My father gave me the information." Yang said as she sat down on the couch. "He and Summer rented a cabin from the same person. Unfortunately I couldn't get the same one. I only got to go there once, and I'd love to see the old place again. In just a week we made so many great memories there."

"We'll just have to make some new memories." Pyrrha said. She sat beside Yang and leaned against her.

Yang put her arm around Pyrrha's shoulders. "Oh, I don't think we'll have any trouble doing that."

* * *

On the road, even behind the wheel of what was effectively a race car, Yang did not drive like a race car driver. Sure, she constantly ran over the speed limit, but she was nothing like as fast as most of the other drivers. If it was not for the fact that she was a famous person in an easily identifiable car, she probably would have made a lot of people angry. Instead she gave a smile and a wave as they passed her staring in disbelief. She got where she was going and that was what mattered.

Yang and Pyrrha alternated days spent relaxing together in the cabin with days exploring the countryside. Yang's personally annotated map of wineries came in handy and as the week went on the pair visited dozens. The quality was generally good even if there were a few stinkers, and the people were friendly. They either did not know or did not care that the pair were famous Formula 1 drivers. With the circus that was F1 sweeping through every year, maybe they were used to it.

It was Wednesday. Most of the drivers and team personnel would be arriving the next day and the vacation would be over. Pyrrha would have preferred to spend the day resting, but Yang was insistent. There were a few places they simply had to visit. First up was Yang's personal favorite winery. Pyrrha agreed that she had saved the best for last and the pair left with a case of wine. Next they went to Mountain Glenn proper. Yang took Pyrrha to a little store that sold all kinds of trinkets ranging from everyday, mass-produced junk to bizarre one-of-a-kind artifacts. There was a little something for everyone. After that was lunch at a fancy restaurant overlooking the lake on the side opposite the cabin. For the first time since they had been there, Yang did not have wine with her meal. Pyrrha thought it curious.

After a delicious meal they returned to the car. Yang refused to tell Pyrrha where they were going next. All she would give her was a "you'll see." The lake sat at the bottom of a steep, narrow valley, and the road that ringed it was correspondingly winding and scenic. They drove across a bridge where a stream ran under the road, flowing toward the lake. Yang stopped the car in the grass on the side of the road. "We're here." She said.

"Where's here?" Pyrrha asked.

"You'll see." Yang said again. Yang led Pyrrha down a narrow forest path, one that had clearly not seen much traffic. It was a short walk but with a steep elevation change it was a demanding one. Pyrrha regretted wearing high heels but she managed. Finally the trees ended and the trail opened up into a grassy plateau. "Take a look." Yang said, moving her hand in a sweeping motion.

Back in the direction from which they had come, to the side of the path was a breathtaking waterfall, only visible now that they had cleared the trees. The stream they had crossed earlier dropped off suddenly, millennia of water gouging out a narrow gorge that ran into the lake. The plateau ended at a cliff, and below the forest was rich with the orange and red hues of autumn. Further on the lake sparkled in the afternoon sun. "It's beautiful." Pyrrha gasped.

"Not half as beautiful as you." Yang said.

"Stop." Pyrrha laughed, blushing slightly. She stepped further out onto the plateau, getting a better view of the scenery below while Yang stayed back near the trees.

"I came here once as a kid." Yang said. "I couldn't help but think about how great the view was, and how much I'd love to share it with someone special. Now I've finally got my chance."

"It's incredible." Pyrrha said. "Is this why you didn't drink with lunch? You wanted to really take it in?"

"Not exactly." Yang said. "I thought I should be sober for what I'm about to do."

"What you're about to do?" Pyrrha asked. She turned around to find Yang down on one knee, holding up a small box containing a glittering diamond ring.

"From the way you're shaking and the look on your face, I take it you know what this means." Yang said. She was doing a good job of hiding it, but the sweat dripping down Yang's forehead betrayed her nervousness. "So, Pyrrha Nikos, what do you say? Will you marry me?"

Pyrrha was blindsided by the proposal, but looking back, some of Yang's behavior made more sense. She had been a bit distant and evasive at times, and seemed more distracted in general. Having something like this on her mind accounted for all of it. "I...I…" Pyrrha stammered. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, desperately trying to recover from the shock enough to give a coherent answer. "Yes. Of course." She finally said.

"Well that's a relief." Yang said as Pyrrha took the ring and slipped it onto her finger. "I've spent the last few weeks thinking up new and exciting ways you could have said no." She stood and embraced Pyrrha. "I love you."

"I love you too." Pyrrha said. There, surrounded by the beauty of nature, they kissed.

* * *

As Pyrrha sat down in the passenger's seat of Yang's car she could not help but stare at the ring. It was all still hard to believe but there was the proof. Yang hopped in the driver's side and passed Pyrrha the box the ring had been in. "There's one in there without a stone so you can wear it under your gloves." Yang said.

"You thought of everything, didn't you?" Pyrrha said. Yang laughed. "So, how long have you been planning this?"

"Since we had that talk at Forever Fall." Yang replied. She fired up the engine and set off. "You convinced me that it was worth taking the risk. I bought the ring the day after the race. I just wanted to wait for the right moment."

"I think you nailed it." Pyrrha said.

"I thought about doing it after the race, maybe on the podium or something, but I figured that would be too much spectacle for your taste." Yang continued. "I was pretty sure you wouldn't want it to be a big event."

"You got that right." Pyrrha confirmed. "But my answer wouldn't have changed. The way I feel about you...I've never felt like this about anyone before. You just make me happy."

"I'm glad to hear it." Yang said. "I feel the same way about you."

"So, what's the next stop?" Pyrrha asked. "Whatever it is, it'll be hard to beat the last one."

"I thought we'd head back to the cabin." Yang replied with a grin. "You know, for a little celebration."

* * *

On Friday it was time to get back to business. Yang and Pyrrha's engagement was a secret, known only to their close friends. Once the season was over they would go public with the news, but now that was an unnecessary distraction. There was a championship to be decided and it was a close one at that. With a three-way tie for the lead and only four points back to fifth, it was easily the closest title race ever. The top four - Pyrrha, Yang, Weiss and Ruby - all controlled their own destiny. A win would secure the title. For Winter in fifth, she would need a win with anyone other than the top three finishing second.

Practice revealed little. The top four in points were all very quick, their times nearly identical throughout all three sessions. Winter and May were a little behind, but not so far that they could not make it up in qualifying. SeaMonkeys F1 was surprisingly close to Schnee Automotive, but were not quite there on the timesheets. Heading into time trials, it was still very much anybody's game. It could all come down to the smallest slip, a moment's hesitation, or even blind luck.

The early stages of qualifying mostly mirrored practice. Ruby was fastest, followed by Yang and Weiss. Next up were Winter and May. Pyrrha had been having difficulty finding enough clear track to get in a good lap. Then when she finally did, a slip in the toe of The Boot meant the lap was not fast enough. There was still plenty of time left though, about ten minutes. That was long enough to go out for a run, come back in for service, and go out again. Most of the frontrunners were waiting for the last moments when the track would be fastest, but Pyrrha could not afford to wait.

May jumped out into the pit lane just in front of Pyrrha. They both headed out onto the track for a quick attempt, hoping to bank a good lap in case their final run went wrong. They rounded the track on their warmup lap going fast enough to warm the tires and brakes, but not so fast that they would shred their rubber. Pyrrha hung back before the final right-hander to open up a gap to May and ensure clear running for her lap. May thundered down the frontstretch, followed by Pyrrha a few seconds later. They rounded the first turn and raced up into The Esses.

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Team Juniper's flashback car is based on the Lotus 72. It is somewhat anachronistic.

\- The Atlas Grand Prix in the flashback is meant to be the Mexican Grand Prix a the the Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez.

\- Mountain Glenn is based on Watkins Glen and the surrounding area is based on the Finger Lakes Region of New York, a place I am very familiar with. The lake nearest the track is Seneca. All locations described are based on real places.

\- Yang's car is a GT40.

\- Unlike in my last story, the layout for Watkins Glen is now period accurate.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- In the 60's, the lack of reliability was such that finishing all but one race in a season was basically unheard of. Most drivers were lucky to make it to the finish in the majority.


	16. Unblinking

Chapter 16

 _Six Years Ago_

Pyrrha was a full-time F2 driver and well on the way to winning the championship. She was driving for an established team, but one that had seen decidedly mediocre results in the preceding few seasons. All that changed when Pyrrha arrived. She was the most dominant driver F2 had seen and she was being compared favorably to some of the greatest F1 champions the sport had seen. It was no surprise then that offers for other rides kept pouring in. Pyrrha kept her focus on F2, but there were other races to run on off weeks.

One of them was the 24 hour touring car race at the Mistral Circuit. It was a fairly prestigious race and at her home track, so Pyrrha decided it was worth running. The offer came from a championship caliber team, and her teammate was an experienced veteran with many wins under his belt. She had never driven touring cars before, having run single-seaters exclusively for the entirety of her career, but once her entry was announced she was immediately the favorite. The expectations were high, but they had been for Pyrrha ever since she was crushing the competition in karts.

Pyrrha found the race terribly boring. The car was heavy and sluggish compared to her F2 machine, and though it was the fastest on track it still felt slow. The fact that she drove away from the field without even pushing also contributed to her boredom. She drove for a few hours then traded spots with her teammate. He put in a good stint - not as fast as hers though - and extended their lead. Then it was Pyrrha's turn again. Then his. Then hers. Things got a little more interesting as darkness fell. It was more important than ever to be alert. There could be trouble around every corner and it would be impossible to see until she was right on top of it.

Still, everything was going well. Except for the occasional lapped car, Pyrrha was basically alone, just running her own race. She came up on one of the slower cars as they approached the Ursa Kink. It was a bit too late to make the pass before the corner, but there would be plenty of time once they hit the long straightaway that came next. Pyrrha hung back a bit as the cars swung left then right. As they headed for corner exit Pyrrha wished she had hung back farther.

The lapped car went into a slide, heading off the left side of the circuit. Just beyond the tarmac was a low stone wall and the car plowed into the end of it side-on before bouncing back onto the track. Pyrrha braked hard and took evasive maneuvers but there was no time. She collided with the wrecked car and skidded off the track and into the grass. It was not that hard a hit and she was uninjured. Pyrrha was much more concerned about the other driver however. His impact had been much more severe.

Pyrrha got out of her car. The other vehicle had been bounced back off the track to the left, opposite where Pyrrha's had come to a stop on the right. Once she was sure no traffic was coming, Pyrrha rushed across the track to check on the other driver. She knew there were likely no track workers nearby, and if there were they would probably be useless anyway. The smashed car sat beside the stone wall, facing in the direction opposite to traffic. The driver's door was pointed toward the track and Pyrrha arrived at that part of the car first.

Pyrrha immediately wished she had not. The car had been almost bent in half by its first impact with the end of the wall, and the driver's door and surrounding structure had been pushed in. The driver had been crushed to death, nearly cut in two by the encroaching metal. The inside of the car was splattered with his blood. His eyes were wide and unblinking, a look of terror permanently etched on his face. Pyrrha turned away and vomited. She had never before participated in a race in which someone had died. She had certainly never seen something so gruesome. She had never been forced to face her own mortality or the all too real risks that came with being a race car driver. She was suddenly forced to acknowledge that she could just as easily end up like that driver.

Pyrrha changed. Something of the excitement that had come with racing was gone. She had been happy-go-lucky but now shifted to a stern demeanor whenever she was at the track. She stopped making friends among the other drivers. For a time she contemplated quitting, but racing was too much a part of her. That horrible scene would haunt her for the rest of her life. The death of one of her fellow drivers never again hit her so hard, but that was only because she had become numb.

* * *

 _Present Day_

May led Pyrrha up toward The Esses. Back in the pits the waiting drivers and crews could hear screeching tires and rending metal. The session was red flagged. An eerie silence fell over the track. It was broken by sirens as an ambulance rushed from the pit area to the scene of the accident. No one was quite sure what had happened, but word began filtering back that it had been a big one. Minutes passed as those waiting in the pits became more and more concerned. All feared the worst though they desperately hoped it had not come to pass.

After some time a driver returned to the pit area, surrounded by a mob of fans and media. At the gate the hangers-on were cleared away and Pyrrha emerged carrying her helmet. She had a blank expression, a thousand yard stare. Yang was the first to meet her. "Pyrrha, are you alright?" She asked. "What happened?"

"I'm fine." Pyrrha said emotionlessly. "I just got into the armco a little trying to avoid the debris."

"And May?" Yang asked as the pair continued to walk down the pit lane towards Team Juniper's garage.

Pyrrha shook her head. "She's gone." Pyrrha said. Yang felt sick but it was clearly nothing compared to what Pyrrha was feeling. Weiss and Winter arrived in short order. "May's dead." Pyrrha repeated. "Weiss, I need you to make an announcement to the press. I wish there was time to prepare a statement, but you need to head up to the press box now. We need to put qualifying on hold until we investigate. Yang, make sure none of the drivers are willing to go out until Winter and I look into this." Pyrrha looked around. "Winter, you and I will take one of the circuit vehicles to the scene. I'll explain what happened."

"I should go with you." Yang said. She wanted to be there to support Pyrrha.

"I appreciate the offer, but you have a job to do." Pyrrha said. "We all have jobs to do." With that she walked away, Winter in tow.

Pyrrha and Winter commandeered a truck used to ferry equipment around the track. Pyrrha parked it near the exit of turn 2. The skid marks on track and field of scattered debris told the tale, but Pyrrha explained what she had seen anyway. May had entered The Esses normally, but started to oversteer. She managed to keep the car straight but slid wide of turn 2. She hit the kerb on the inside of turn 3 dead-on, popping the front of her car into the air. It remained in that position until it slammed into the catch fence above the armco on the right side of turn 3. The fence ripped the car in two at the cockpit and May was thrown out, still strapped into her seat. Pyrrha had smacked the armco on the left of the track while attempting to avoid the crash.

Pyrrha had jumped out of her car and rushed to May. She crouched beside her and with one look knew May was dead. Her body looked intact, but her unblinking stare, eyes dilated and frozen in terror, said she was already gone. Pyrrha sat down against the nearby armco as medics attended to May. They tried to resuscitate her, though it was clear from their demeanor that they knew it was a lost cause. Dr. Glenn soon arrived and immediately came to the same conclusion. He ordered May's body loaded into an ambulance and taken away. An autopsy would reveal a broken neck. May's death had been instant.

"We need to determine if the track is safe to race." Pyrrha said to Winter. "You're the expert. I need your opinion."

Winter walked along, following the skid marks. She looked on as track workers began repairing the damaged catch fence and clearing the debris. "There's nothing wrong with the track." Winter said. "Maybe the barriers could be a little farther from the track, but there's nothing that can be done about that."

"What about the fence?" Pyrrha asked. "It tore her car apart."

"It has to be there." Winter said. Indeed it did. The tunnel that allowed vehicle access to the infield ran under the track at that spot, a 25 foot drop from the racing surface. The fence may have been bad but it was no worse than such a drop. "It's my opinion that once the fence is repaired, the track is safe to race."

It was not the answer Pyrrha was looking for. She desperately wanted Winter to tell her there was something wrong with the circuit, that it had been something other than simple bad luck that had killed May. In her heart she knew it was just a combination of driver error and misfortune, but that was a bitter pill to swallow. It meant that it could happen to anyone. Of course Pyrrha knew that any time she got in her car could be her last, but it was a fact she did a good job of ignoring. What she had seen with her own eyes showed the reality of the situation in stark relief. She was vulnerable. Everyone she cared about was vulnerable. It could all end in an instant.

* * *

The drivers met on pit road to discuss what to do next. They waited for Pyrrha and Winter to complete their inspection. "The track is safe to race." Pyrrha reported as soon as she returned. "Qualifying will resume when repairs and cleanup have been completed. My car is damaged so I will not be participating."

"Schnee Automotive has decided to withdraw from the race." Weiss said. She turned to Winter. "I'm sorry you had to hear it from me."

"I expected as much, and I would not race anyway." Winter said.

"But for your career to end this way…" Weiss started.

"I walk away from racing with my life." Winter cut her off. "That's about the best ending any of us can hope for. Until that changes, never rest. Never stop trying to make things safer."

* * *

None of the drivers really had their hearts in it, but the show had to go on. That was just how things worked. Repairing the catch fence took over an hour. The track officials were not willing to risk a return to racing with anything but a perfect repair. Even if their safety measures had failed them, at least they were unwilling to take risks. That was a pretty clear sign of how much had changed over the past few years. There was a time when a few ramshackle repairs would be affected and the cars would be forced back on track, the drivers knowing the conditions were even more dangerous than they had been previously. Thankfully those days were long gone.

Yang got back in her car and slipped on her helmet. She did not want to. She wanted to go sit out the rest of time trials with Pyrrha. But she had a responsibility to the team, the sponsors, the fans and herself. Even if she felt like it hardly mattered, there was a championship to be won. She was not about to just hand the pole to Weiss or Ruby. If they were going to have it, they were going to earn it. Yang waited for the clock to run down a bit before heading out on track with the remaining frontrunners.

Yang wound up her car through the final corner and rocketed out onto the frontstretch to begin her lap. She dashed past the pits before getting on the brakes as the track dropped down into the first corner. She nailed the apex of the square right-hander, hitting the kerbs hard there and on exit. Then it was up to The Esses, those fatal Esses. She was flat-out, right, then left, then right again, sweeping onto the backstretch as the track climbed ever more uphill. When she reached the crest she was hard on the brakes. She slung her car into the downhill, banked, sweeping right-hand turn 5. The corner seemed to go on forever. She spotted her reference point and was hard on the throttle, blasting out of the corner and down the hill into The Boot. After the tight-left at the shin it was downhill again, braking even harder into the toe. The long, slow right-hander wound uphill. Then it was on throttle, over a crest and straight toward the tightest corner of the track. Yang braked hard for the right-hand heel, her car squirming as the back end desperately tried to make itself the front. Yang held it, powered through the apex, downhill and back up again before braking for the left-hander that returned her to the old circuit. She was almost immediately in the penultimate corner, a left-hander for which she hardly had to lift. Then after a short straight she coasted into the final corner, waiting for just the right moment to get back on the gas. She accelerated out, flashed under the pedestrian bridge and across the line to complete her lap.

Yang was fast but Ruby was faster, setting a new track record on her final lap. Weiss ended up third. Winter and May's times retained fourth and fifth but were meaningless now. Pyrrha lost out to Sun and was followed by Reese, Neptune and Coco. None of the drivers really cared. They were just glad it was over. Now they could go back to some bar and drown their sorrows, or return to their hotels and try to sleep off the horror of the day. The media interviews following time trials, usually good for a few interesting soundbytes, were subdued and filled with plenty of 'no comment' and stock answers. Everyone had been looking forward to the race, one grand prix to settle the closest championship in history, but now it seemed they all just wanted to go home.

* * *

"Where's Pyrrha?" Yang asked, walking into the Team Juniper garage. "I'm her ride." They were staying together at the cabin. It was farther away than the hotels but both had decided it would be more comfortable, even if the drive there was a bit of a chore.

"I haven't seen her since we went back to racing." Weiss replied.

"I think she said she was heading to the parking lot." Nora remembered. "She said something about not being interested in watching."

Yang thanked them and headed for the parking lot herself. She made her way to her bright yellow sports car. Pyrrha was already sitting inside. She had obviously been crying but now just looked depressed. She flashed a quick, wry smile when she spotted Yang before her melancholy expression returned. Yang decided that talking about the crash was probably not the best idea. Still, the only topic she had was racing. "Ruby won the pole." She said.

"I heard." Pyrrha said. "You must be disappointed."

"A little." Yang admitted. "It would really be something if Ruby won this thing though. I'd probably be just as happy as if I won myself."

"Me too." Pyrrha sighed. "Probably more so."

Yang put the keys in the ignition but did not start the car. "Talk to me Pyrrha." She said.

"I don't want to race tomorrow." Pyrrha said. Tears began welling in her eyes. "I don't want to do it anymore."

"Then let's retire." Yang suggested. "I don't want to do it either. We can announce our retirements and our engagement, then start our lives together. As long as I'm with you, I'll be happy no matter what we're doing. We're both champions. What else is there to prove?"

"But we can't quit." Pyrrha sobbed. "You know it and I know it. There are people counting on us. I'm not just talking about our teams. If we're gone, who will keep pushing for safety? Weiss can't do it alone and I'm not sure there are any drivers with enough pull to make anything happen. Besides, no matter what you say, we both know life without racing won't be the same. It's like a drug and we're both addicts. As much as it hurts us, we need it."

"Until it hurts us too much." Yang said. "My father reached that point. Winter reached that point. I think we've reached that point too."

"You only get out of this sport two ways: broken or dead." Pyrrha cried. "Even if your body's not broken, you mind is. With everything we've seen...how can we go on?"

"We go on because we have to." Yang said. "There's no alternative." Yang sighed. "I really don't think you should race tomorrow, not with where your head's at. I'll sit out with you if you want." Yang knew Pyrrha needed help she was not equipped to provide. A doctor would have called it post-traumatic stress. "Maybe you should see Dr. Glenn."

"No." Pyrrha said firmly. "I'm going to race tomorrow. You're going to race tomorrow. Someone's going to win and someone's going to be champion. The show will go on just like it always does. That's just how it is."

"Are you sure?" Yang asked. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm sure." Pyrrha confirmed. "And I'll be as okay as any of us can ever be."

"If that's your decision, I support you 100 percent." Yang said with a gentle smile. She turned the key and the engine roared to life. "Whoever wins tomorrow, you're a champion in my eyes."

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The Mistral Circuit is based on Spa-Francorchamps. The Ursa Kink is the Masta Kink.

\- Mountain Glenn is still Watkins Glen.

\- May is based on Francois Cervet and her accident on the fatal crash of the same. It is also partially based on the fatal crash of Gilles Villeneuve at Zolder in 1982.

\- This should come as no surprise since Winter is based on Jackie Stewart. He was to run his 100th and final F1 race at Watkins Glen in 1973, but Cervet's death caused him and the team to pull out of the event and he retired on the spot.

\- The post-qualifying conversation between Pyrrha and Yang is vaguely based on the conversation between Dr. Sid Watkins and Ayrton Senna following Roland Ratzenberger's death in qualifying at Imola in 1994.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- There was no International/European F2 championship in 1965.

\- There is no stone wall to the left of the Masta Kink.

\- Cervet actually won the 1971 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, and was killed in qualifying for the '73 race. His death was quite a bit more gruesome, his car flipping and sliding along the top of the armco, the sharp metal nearly cutting him in two.

\- I took some liberties with the geometry of the Esses but it's fairly accurate.


	17. Mountain Glenn GP

Chapter 17

 _Four Year Ago_

Yang would be champion. At least that was the prevailing attitude in and around F1. With a 17 point lead and only two races left - Mountain Glenn and Atlas - the only way for Weiss to beat her would be to win both races with Yang failing to score. It was somewhat surprising that Yang had not already clinched. She had won fully half of the races prior to Mountain Glenn, but mechanical issues in other events had allowed Weiss to stay in the fight. The odds were slim, but Weiss was not going to give up. Yang had no intention of taking it easy either. She could win the title with a sixth place or better finish in either of the two remaining races, but Yang was determined to win the races. She was the kind of person who would rather strikeout swinging for the fences than get on base with a single.

Yang took the pole for Mountain Glenn for the second year in succession with Weiss sharing the front row. Neither wanted to have a repeat of the previous year's embarrassment, but neither was going to yield either. Yang got a good start, but so did Weiss. Yang knew that Weiss could not afford to take a big risk. If Weiss and Yang collided at turn 1 and took each other out, Yang would be champion. Yang drove into the corner hard, hard enough that it was clear to Weiss that she was planning to take her usual line. Weiss got the message, fall in line or it's all over. That was fine. Weiss knew she would have other opportunities, and it would not really matter unless Yang fell out of the race anyway.

The Beacon GP teammates ran nose-to-tail, pulling away from third place Pyrrha a little each lap until they were half a lap in front. Without having to worry about being passed, Weiss could throw everything into trying to get past Yang. She tried shooting up the inside into turn 1. Yang did not even try to block. She just watched as Weiss slid wide before retaking the spot. Weiss tried again the next lap, this time careful not to overdrive the corner. That was fine for Yang. Taking her normal line she was able to brake later and keep the lead.

Weiss tried to get past Yang by getting a run out of The Esses and up the backstretch into turn 5. Yang quickly figured out what her teammate was up to. Now she ran through The Esses intentionally slowly. The track was too narrow and the racing line too restrictive to allow Weiss to pass, and Yang's change of pace prevented Weiss from getting the run she needed. It she got anywhere close to getting a decent run, Yang just ran down the right side of the circuit and took away the preferred line for turn 5. There was no way Weiss could make the pass on the outside.

With ten laps remaining, Yang was done playing games. She put her foot down and started to pull away. All along she had been toying with Weiss, just getting her to wear out her equipment. Yang had saved her tires and brakes and now easily gapped her teammate. It was tremendously demoralizing to Weiss. She suspected that was the point of the exercise. Yang was demonstrating that she could beat Weiss at will. At least that was how Weiss saw it. What was actually going through Yang's head was anybody's guess. Yang cruised home to the victory, winning by a comfortable margin.

On the podium Yang looked fresh and perky. Weiss, on the other hand, was totally exhausted. She had given everything she had to try to beat Yang and Yang had barely broken a sweat. When the trophies were presented Weiss expected some gloating out of Yang. Yang was about to surprise her.

"That was a great race Weiss." Yang said. "You've been really great all year."

"Thanks." Weiss said, surprised and a little suspicious. "Congrats champ."

"Sorry for all the blocking." Yang continued. "After last year I really wanted this one."

"Don't worry about it." Weiss said, still not sure what Yang's angle was. "I would have done the same."

"You'll pick up a title of your own one of these years." Yang said.

"I want to accept this at face value, but I can't help but feel like you're messing with me." Weiss admitted.

"I'm not." Yang said. "You're talented, clinical and you never give up. That's the recipe for a champion. I had you beat on raw speed this year. That won't always be enough. I don't know how you drive at such a measured pace. Trying that today was agonizing."

"Why did you do that?" Weiss asked.

"Well, it works for you." Yang replied. "I figured I'd give it a shot. Now's as good a time as any to experiment. I don't think it's for me though."

"You be you." Weiss said. "Keep breaking cars. I'll be there to take home the trophies. I will beat you next year." They may have been teammates and friends, but they were still rivals.

"We'll see." Yang laughed. "We'll see."

* * *

 _Present Day_

The pre-race drivers' meeting was a typically boring affair. Track and series officials gave their briefings, then some dignitaries got to say a few words that no one bothered to listen to. At the end, the floor was opened for questions and things got interesting. Pyrrha raised her hand. "Go ahead Ms. Nikos." The series official at the podium said.

"I propose that we leave grid positions four and five empty at the start." Pyrrha said. There was some grumbling amongst the assembled drivers. "Out of respect."

"I don't know if that's something we should do." The official said.

"Why not?" Pyrrha asked. "Because it will force us to remember what happened?" The room went silent. "This sport is dangerous. Too dangerous. We just keep lying to ourselves but that doesn't change the reality. We all know the truth. If we can't even show a little respect for someone who died out there because it makes us uncomfortable, what does that say about us? I don't care if you penalize me or disqualify me, I'm not lining up in the fifth grid spot today."

"Uh...Ms. Nikos…" The official said.

"Put it to a vote." Pyrrha cut him off.

"Fine." The official sighed. "All in favor of leaving grid spots four and five vacant?" Almost every driver raised his or her hand. "All opposed?" No one. "Very well."

* * *

"Thanks for coming." Ruby said to Penny. "It means a lot to have you here."

"I will try to watch the race." Penny said. "It will be hard, but I will do it for you." It was the first time Penny had returned to Mountain Glenn since Yang had secured the title four years before. She had spent that race an emotional wreck, crying and shaking as Ruby tried to console her. It had been too soon. The memories of her accident were still too fresh. Now at a few year's remove it was still difficult but the pain was somewhat dulled.

"I know that just coming here must have been really tough." Ruby said. "Don't push yourself too hard. Just you being here is all that matters."

"You're my best friend and I should watch you race." Penny said. "Even if it hurts."

"Thank you." Ruby said. She hugged Penny and Penny awkwardly hugged her back.

"Good luck." Penny said. "I hope you win."

* * *

All that remained before the cars rolled out to the grid were a few last minute checks. Pyrrha looked over her car. Everything seemed to be in order. "Pyrrha, got a minute?" Weiss asked.

"Sure." Pyrrha replied. She turned away from her car to face Weiss.

"Are you sure about the grid thing?" Weiss asked. "It hurts you most of all. You could be throwing away the championship."

"Do I look like I care about some stupid championship?" Pyrrha said. She did not.

"So why are you even racing today?" Weiss asked. "No one would blame you for sitting this one out."

"There are some things we have to do." Pyrrha said. "No matter the circumstances, I have to get in that car and race. I made a commitment. I can't just give up. That would be an insult."

"An insult to whom?" Weiss asked.

"To everyone counting on me." Pyrrha answered. "To all my fans. To the team. To the other drivers. To May. No, I can't just walk away."

"Well, if you're sure." Weiss said.

"I'm sure." Pyrrha said. It was about time to head out to the grid. "Good luck out there."

"You too." Weiss said.

Pyrrha sat behind the wheel of her car. She slipped on her balaclava and helmet. For just a moment there was a look in her eyes - something like a mix of doubt and regret - and then it was gone. She slapped her visor down. Now there was a fire in those eyes. Outside the car it was very easy to let the mind wander to places it should not, but once the helmet was on and the engine was fired, there was nothing but the race.

* * *

Pyrrha lined her car up in the seventh grid spot. She got out and sat on the pit wall. Members of her crew stood in a circle around her, keeping the press away as she had requested. On the way to the track she had also told Yang that she wanted to be alone. Yang did not think it was a good idea but was not about to argue. For her part Yang was not answering any questions either. She stood by her car, surrounded by members of the press. They snapped pictures and asked questions, but Yang just stood there in silence. Weiss was not sure what to do. Her former and current teammates were acting differently than they ever had before. Soon the questions directed at her got uncomfortable and she adopted Yang's silent approach.

No one really bothered Ruby. That was mostly down to the fact that though her car was on the grid, she was not. She was in the garage throwing up more than she had before any other F1 race. Nervousness was the cause as always, but this time was different. Even after what had happened to May, Ruby was not afraid. Her fear had been conquered, or at least repressed. No, this time it was the pressure that was getting to her. She was fourth in points but only two down from the lead. She was starting on pole and a win would make her champion. After an extraordinary season, expectations were sky-high. People were already starting to call her the greatest natural talent F1 had ever seen. She did not feel worthy of the praise. Though she had never been all that competitive, she wanted the championship badly. Not so she could prove anything to others, just to prove to herself that she was good enough.

It was time to go. The drivers returned to their cars and the mechanics fired them up. They rolled around for their parade lap and returned to the grid. Grid spots four and five remained vacant. The starter raised his flag and the drivers revved their engines. It was a long run to turn 1 and a lot could happen. Getting a good start was critical. The drivers focused their attention on the flagstand. With all the cars lined up the starter dropped his flag. The cars screamed off the line. At the end of 59 laps one driver would be champion.

Ruby's start was perfect. As she dove downhill and turned into the first corner she was clear of Yang. Weiss tried to hang on beside Yang but had to fall in line in third. Pyrrha got a great start and arrived at turn 1 beside Sun. They ran through the corner side-by-side. Pyrrha was not on the preferred line for that corner or the next but she held on. Sun recognized that she was faster. Not only that, she was fighting for the title and he was not. When they arrived at turn 2 Sun just barely lifted and allowed Pyrrha to shoot ahead in pursuit of her title rivals.

Ruby immediately began pulling out a gap over Yang. She was fast. She was so fast. Yang was proud of her sister but felt the title slipping away. Right behind Weiss was hanging on, but she was not quick enough to pass Yang. Not yet at least. Running alongside Sun had cost Pyrrha precious seconds and now she was playing catch-up. In fourth place she was running laps as fast as Ruby. For all Pyrrha's worry and despair, behind the wheel she was laser focused. It was just her, the track and the competition. The past, the future, the things she had seen, the things she had done, none of it mattered.

Attention was focused on the battle for the championship. The four title contenders ran in the top four spots and the one that came out on top would be champion. When Cardin spun and slapped the tire-fronted armco in the toe of The Boot, the accident was almost unnoticed. The same was true when Nolan blew a tire and had to pull off, and when Mercury's engine disintegrated in a cloud of smoke. When Francois Banesaw slid straight off turn 1 and smacked the barrier right in front of the grandstands it was hard to miss, but few paid much attention once it was clear that he was unhurt.

Ruby kept pulling away. Every lap the number on her pit board telling her how many seconds she had over Yang grew. On lap 23 it was over ten seconds. The car still felt great. The tires were in good shape, the brakes were healthy and the engine sounded and felt just right. She powered off turn 1, heading uphill through The Esses and out onto the backstretch, sweeping around a lap car just as the hill reached its crest. She hit the brakes in preparation for turn 5 and the car veered left. With only a narrow strip of grass between the track and the armco, there was nothing Ruby could do. The car hit the armco at a shallow angle, grinding against it until it slid head-on into the tire-fronted armco straight off the corner. It was not a hard hit, but it hurt all the same. Even before getting out to look at the car Ruby knew what had gone wrong. She had seen it happening as if it were in slow motion. One of the bolts in her left-front suspension had broken. Once that happened, she was just a passenger.

* * *

Ruby got out of the car as Yang, Weiss and Pyrrha drove past. There went the championship. She took off her helmet and tossed it into the cockpit before hopping over the armco. She stood beside the track watching the cars go round for a few laps. She had not felt such sadness since the day her mother died. She knew it was her own fault. She had built the car. The bolt that broke was one she had installed. Now she was afraid she had made a mistake on Yang's car. Costing herself the title was bad enough. If her sister crashed because of her it would be too much to bear.

Eventually a fan, noticing Ruby's sadness, offered her a ride back to the garage on his motor scooter. Ruby accepted and in minutes she was there. She thanked the fan, signed an autograph and sadly walked away, slowly making her way along the pit lane to the Beacon GP garage. Penny was there, waiting with a look of fear on her face. When she spotted Ruby it turned to relief.

"I heard about the crash." Penny said. She got up and rushed to hug Ruby. "I was very worried."

"I didn't hit that hard." Ruby sighed. "My suspension broke. I really blew it."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Penny said. "We all make mistakes. The important thing is that you're not hurt."

"I guess." Ruby said.

"I'm sure you'll be champion soon." Penny encouraged. "I know you can do it."

"Thanks Penny." Ruby said. "I means a lot to hear you say that."

"Should we watch the race then?" Penny asked.

"I guess." Ruby said. "I really hope Yang's car holds up. It would kill me if I screwed up hers too."

"I'm sure you did a great job." Penny said. "You always do. The part that broke was probably defective. Everything will be fine."

After all she had been through, if Penny could be optimistic about something at the race track, Ruby could be optimistic too. "You're right." Ruby said, managing a smile. Penny smiled back. "Let's make the best of today."

* * *

Yang was shocked to see Ruby's car off track at turn 5. At least her sister was alright, already walking away from the car by the time Yang arrived at the scene. Suddenly it was Yang's championship to win or lose and she was certainly winning. Weiss was not fast enough to pass her and Yang was not even really pushing, just going fast enough to stay in front. That kind of measured approach was difficult for her, but she was getting used to doing it at Mountain Glenn. A bigger concern was Pyrrha. She had caught up to Weiss and clearly had more speed than her teammate.

Pyrrha knew she was faster than the cars ahead but not quite fast enough. She had put serious strain on her car making up the ground to catch the leaders and was starting to pay for it. Had she been there at the start she probably would have blown them away. Now she was still quick but not nearly so comfortable as her worn rear tires slipped and slid. Pyrrha could tell from Yang's driving that she was not giving it everything. It was also clear that Weiss was. Pyrrha needed to make the pass.

As it turned out, Pyrrha did not need to make the pass. On lap 42 Weiss hit the gas on exit of turn 1. With a rumble and a bang her transmission failed. The engine revved to the redline but none of that power made it to the wheels. Weiss knew she was in the way and hooked to the right to the inside edge of the track to let Pyrrha past. The least she could do was be a good teammate. She pulled to a stop at a gap in the armco just after the pit exit and got out. Her race, her championship, was over.

Now it was a heads-up battle, Yang versus Pyrrha. Yang knew Pyrrha would not be as easy to outrun as Weiss. She picked up the pace. Now she was turning laps that would have put her near Ruby's blistering pace. Pyrrha matched her. Corner after corner, straight after straight, the cars ran nose-to-tail with both drivers on the limit. No quarter was asked and none given. No matter their feelings for one another off the track, on it they were opponents. Neither was willing to accept anything but victory.

As the race neared its end Yang's tires began to wear out and her car began to slide around. That would have been an issue but Pyrrha's car was having the same problem. Their pace dropped but the intensity only rose. Pyrrha kept looking to pass but the opportunity never really presented itself. She could have pushed the issue, but she was not willing to risk a crash. Yang would probably forgive her but she would not forgive herself. She was going to win it clean or not win it at all.

Yang slung her car through the final corner at a harrowing angle and Pyrrha followed in an equally alarming slide. They managed to straighten out their cars for the frontstretch, powered off the corner and flashed under the flagstand to take the white flag. Just one lap to go. One lap to decide the championship. About halfway down the straightaway Yang moved her car to the right. She was going to take a defensive line but she was not going to throw a big block at the last second. Pyrrha took what was given to her and tried the left. As they braked for the corner Pyrrha pulled even, but she was off line and had to fall in behind Yang.

Pyrrha followed Yang up the hill toward The Esses. Yang entered The Esses normally but her car, tires hopelessly worn, began to oversteer. Pyrrha had a sickening sense of deja-vu. Yang kept her foot down and the wheel turned. She slid through turn 2 successfully before snapping the car back to the left for the next corner. She was nearly sideways but hit her apex perfectly. Pyrrha was amazed and relieved but unable to pass for now. She fell in line, following Yang out onto the backstretch. Yang took her defensive line again, moving to the right edge of the track. Pyrrha again pulled even as they arrived at turn 5. Yang slid into the corner, her back end stepping out with every slight tap of the throttle. Pyrrha began to edge ahead but when she tried to accelerate off the corner she suffered the same problem. Her tires were just as bare. She kept her foot down and slid to the outside edge of the track. There was a big bump as she hit the kerb then a rumbling as her left-rear dropped off into the grass. Still on the edge of out-of-control Yang held on and pulled back into the lead as Pyrrha somehow kept going, throwing up a cloud of dirt and dust behind her.

Pyrrha's little bit of off-roading dropped her back. Yang skidded through the shin of The Boot, not under pressure for the first time in several laps. She got a free run through the toe as well but by the exit Pyrrha was right back on her transmission. They raced up the hill, over the crest and toward the heel. Yang did not take a defensive line this time and Pyrrha dove to the right. Both braked, their cars sliding, trying to swap ends as the drivers desperately tried to keep them going straight. Pyrrha was not going to make the corner and she knew it. She simply had no grip left. She slid wide out into the grass and floored the throttle. Yang took the corner on track but slow, her grip gone as well. Spitting dirt and gravel Pyrrha powered through the grass and returned to the track on Yang's tail. The next two corners were not realistic places to pass and the cars ran line astern, sliding as if on ice.

The final turn was not a realistic passing opportunity either but it was Pyrrha's last shot. Yang took a defensive line, hugging the right edge of the track. She slowed a little extra, being careful not to have the same sort of lurid slide she had had in the preceding turns. Pyrrha had no time to be careful. She swung her car into the corner, almost completely sideways, kicking up a big cloud of smoke as her tires spun hopelessly. Yang hit her throttle too hard and the rear end stepped out. Her car slid left toward Pyrrha and they almost touched. Pyrrha got her car pointed in the right direction and mashed the gas, the engine revving to the redline and the tires screaming. Yang did as well, creating a cloud of smoke to match Pyrrha's. They drag raced off the corner and across the line side-by-side.

Yang pumped her fist in the air. She had won the race and the title. Pyrrha had gotten close, within a meter or so, but had come up just short. As Yang slowly rounded the track on her cooldown lap Pyrrha pulled up beside her. She smiled - Yang could tell just by looking at her eyes - and gave a quick nod. Yang matched the smile and waved. Pyrrha pulled away as Yang inched around, soaking in the cheering of the crowd and the feeling of being the champion again. The first time it had not really hit her until hours later, but now she had a full appreciation of what it meant to be World Champion. Mountain Glenn was quickly becoming her favorite place in the world.

Not that many people paid attention, but Sun finished third followed by Reese, Coco and Arslan to round out the points. Emerald, Sage, Dew and Fox completed the top 10. First across the line, Yang was the last of the remaining runners to return to the pits. She was taking her time, enjoying the moment. When she arrived her friends were waiting. Pyrrha, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Ren, Nora, Penny and even Winter were there. A few of them were no doubt disappointed, but they were still smiling and cheering her on.

As the podium ceremony wound down Yang put her trophy down and embraced Pyrrha. She was aware that Pyrrha did not much like public displays of affection, and she was prepared to leave it at that. Pyrrha refused to let go. "Are you going to kiss me?" Pyrrha asked. "Or would you prefer the trophy girls?"

"How could I say no to an offer like that?" Yang replied. To the gasps and then cheers of the crowd, Yang and Pyrrha passionately kissed.

* * *

Winter offered to buy dinner to celebrate but Yang had a better idea. Fancy restaurants were nice but not really Yang's forte. She took everyone to the Lake Lodge and drinks were on her. That way when the party got out of hand - and everyone knew it would - the setting would be a bit more appropriate. The first round was champagne for everyone. Pyrrha decided to put herself in the spotlight for once. She stood. "A toast!" She shouted. Everyone quieted down to hear her. "To Yang. You're not only a great driver, you're the best friend I could ask for."

Everyone drank but Yang did not down her glass. "I hate to be a downer, but…" Yang said. "A toast. To the fallen. And to those left behind. May their sacrifice make us safer." In solemn silence everyone finished their drinks. "Now have some fun." Yang ordered after a few somber moments. "They wouldn't want us to sit here crying. They'd be downright ashamed of us." The party picked up again.

"Thank you." Pyrrha said. "I'm glad you were there for me. I don't think I could have run that race without your support."

"I need to thank you too." Yang said. "I've never had so much fun on the racetrack, or off it for that matter." Yang laughed to herself. "You know, it's a real shame one of us had to lose."

"That's alright." Pyrrha said with a mischievous grin. "I'll get you next year."

* * *

Standings after eleven races:

Drivers:

1st - Yang Xiao-Long - 46

2nd - Pyrrha Nikos - 43

3rd - Weiss Schnee - 37

4th - Ruby Rose - 35

5th - Winter Schnee - 33

6th - May Zedong - 27

7th - Sun Wukong - 19

8th - Reese Chloris - 11

9th - Neptune Vasilias - 8

10th - Arslan Atlan - 5

11th - Scarlet David - 4

11th - Coco Adel - 4

13th - Fox Alistair - 1

13th - Gwen Darcy - 1

13th - Dew Gayl - 1

Constructors:

1st - Beacon GP - 100

2nd - Team Juniper - 61

3rd - Schnee Automotive - 50

4th - SeaMonkeys F1 - 27

5th - Auburn Racing Team - 16

6th - Bronze Car Company - 10

7th - Coffee Inc. - 5

8th - Team Haven - 4

9th - Indigo Motorsports - 2

* * *

 **Author's Note:** There will be an epilogue on Friday to wrap things up. After that I'll be writing a new RWBY F1 story, a reboot taking place in the mid-to-late 80's called RWBY Turbo.

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The difference in post-race condition between Yang and Weiss is based on a few races involving Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell. Mansell would get out of the car looking like he'd just run a marathon and sharing the podium would be Prost looking like he was just getting started.

\- Pyrrha's brief argument with series officials mirrors an incident between Ayrton Senna and FISA President (and former French Nazi, allegedly) Jean-Marie Balestre.

\- As an end of championship as anti-climax, the finale to Ruby's season is based on Davey Allison's 1992 Winston Cup season. He arrived at the final race with the points lead after dominating the season only to be taken out in a crash with a lapped car early on. The title battle would go on to be an epic one, coming down to a single lap led and the bonus points thereby won, with Alan Kulwicki winning by 10 points over Bill Elliot. Sadly both Allison and Kulwicki would be dead by the end of the following year, both victims of aviation accidents.

\- The Lake Lodge is based on the Seneca Lodge.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Watkins Glen as described is anachronistic for the flashback. The track was remodeled to its current configuration in 1971.

\- The sort of memorial display proposed by Pyrrha would never go ahead in that day and age. Even with the nascent safety movement gaining momentum, the drivers did not want to be reminded of their mortality.

\- The lack of grip from worn tires is massively exaggerated.

\- I've never known drivers to make out on the podium, except occasionally with a trophy girl.


	18. Epilogue

**Author's Note:** This story is over (maybe, more on that later) but I'm not done with RWBY and F1. I'm writing a reboot called RWBY Turbo that takes place during the 80's turbo era and should start posting soon. I hope you've enjoyed this story, and I hope you'll stick with me for a new adventure.

* * *

Epilogue

Pyrrha was right. She did get Yang next year, winning her fourth title in another close race. Ruby did not have long to wait either and won the championship the following year. Then it was time for a surprise. Reese Chloris, originally hired by Schnee Automotive to be the #2 driver to May before her untimely death, won the championship, the first for the organization since Winter's all those years ago. There had been a critical change, all the way at the top. Mr. Schnee had suffered a rather severe heart attack the previous year. He survived but stepped down as head of Schnee Automotive as his health continued to fail. Winter took over and immediately set about reversing his more controversial policies. The result was immediate success.

Weiss had spent three years being outrun by Pyrrha. Now it was abundantly clear that she could not compete if they were in identical equipment. So Weiss made a change that shocked everyone. She went and drove for her sister at a team she had said she would never have anything to do with. Reese was no match, and neither were the rest of the field. Weiss won two titles in succession. Then there was another change, and Schnee Automotive's dominance evaporated.

Winter was on a crusade to make things right. Her father had done some awful things as head of the company. Some were big, affecting thousands of people. Others were more personal. He had certainly done wrong by Blake and Penny. Winter purchased Beacon Motorworks and put Blake and Penny in charge of Schnee Automotive's engine program. That deal included providing those same engines to Beacon GP and Team Juniper. Superior engines, as always, had provided the catalyst for Schnee Automotive's recent dominance. With that advantage gone, the team went into decline.

Yang won the championship and it was not close. Well, not for Schnee Automotive at any rate. Pyrrha and Ruby were close. Weiss was a distant fourth. For her part, Winter did not seem to mind. All she really cared about was doing the right thing. The business side of things was looking great anyway. The following year was another disappointing one for Weiss as Ruby won her second title. The real surprise was the second place runner. After a few up-and-down years Sun and SeaMonkeys F1 had finally put it all together and he fought with Ruby all the way to the wire, losing out by a few points in the last race. That was fine, he would win his next year, though that with rather less competition. More on that in a bit.

Through all that time, safety continued to improve. Pyrrha led the charge, becoming as outspoken and implacable an advocate as Winter had been. Yang and Weiss, joined by Ruby, were her constant allies in the fight to keep drivers safe. There were still deaths. Drivers were still maimed. There were still tracks that were terrifyingly dangerous. The point was it was always getting better. And finally the Emerald Forest, that horrible monstrosity, was gone. After a fiery crash that nearly killed Sun during Yang's third title season, it was removed from the schedule for good. Forever Fall, once suicidally fast, was now broken up by chicanes that slowed the cars to sane speeds. Menagerie was reshaped and transformed into a thoroughly modern circuit. Shadering was finally up to code. The future, for once, looked bright. Racing was not safe, but it was no longer a blood sport.

Flashback. Yang had just edged Pyrrha out for her second title. If anything, the battle brought them closer together. Their engagement was a short one as they were married a few months later in a small ceremony on Patch. A honeymoon to an undisclosed location on Mistral's coast followed. It only ended when the pair had to be back for the start of testing. Flash-forward. Yang and Pyrrha were now both thirty. Ruby had just won her second championship. There was a whole new crop of young drivers in F1, all dedicated to safety in a way most of the previous generation had never been. It was time for them to make their mark. After racing side-by-side for 12 years, Yang and Pyrrha retired together. Thanks to highly advanced - and terrifyingly expensive - technology they would have a pair of children together, a daughter named Summer and a son named Pyrrhus. Both would go on to drive in F1 with somewhat less success than their parents. But that was still far in the future.

Weiss finally took over the GPDA upon Yang and Pyrrha's retirements, with Ruby and Sun at her side. The three of them still had a few years of racing left in them. The four years of their leadership saw only one fatal accident. Then Weiss and Sun retired. Ruby took charge. Her time in the lead was short and tragic. That year saw two fatal crashes, including one that claimed the life of Reese. They were random and flukey, and Ruby could have done nothing to prevent them, but she took it hard nonetheless. She won the championship and promptly retired. F1 was entering a new era and she wanted nothing to do with it. A loophole in the regulations had led to the introduction of turbo engines that were capable of producing unheard of power. If something was not done, the speed would surely kill more and Ruby was no longer willing to put her own life on the line. It would be up to a new generation to do something. They failed to take up the mantle and the GPDA was disbanded with Ruby's resignation.

It would be the governing body, not the drivers, that would put a brake on the increasingly dangerous speeds. Somehow no one had died though a few had come very close. That would all change on one tragic weekend just over a decade after Ruby's retirement. In a painful and ironic twist, the victim would be the driver who had dominated much of the previous decade, Willow Schnee, Winter's daughter. After a crash claimed the life of another driver during qualifying, she had vowed to reform the GPDA. Then in the race she had gone off track at high speed and not survived. It was the wake-up call the world of F1 needed. Safety became the most important factor, more so than even competition and speed. There would not be another fatal crash for over two decades.

After her retirement as a driver, Ruby had stayed involved in F1, working as the chief mechanic for Beacon GP for many years. She could still design a chassis like no one else. Even as the technology changed and carbon fiber replaced steel and aluminium, she was the best of the best. Nora still knew her aerodynamics and no one could beat here there, but when it came to mechanical grip Ruby always had the edge. The competition between the pair defined much of the decade following Ruby's retirement as a driver, with their cars winning every constructors championship and all but three drivers titles, those won by Willow for Schnee Automotive.

Ozpin had already been old when he first hired Yang to drive for him. Somehow he remained in charge of Beacon GP for another three decades. After Willow Schnee's death he decided it was time to get out of the game. Who was there to buy the team but a group consisting of Yang, Pyrrha and Ruby. With F1's renewed focus on safety they decided it was time to get back in. They could not drive of course. They were too old and they had seen too much. That privilege was reserved for the young. They would just see to it that those young drivers had what they needed to be safe and successful on track. It was a new era, one they wished they had driven in. Still, for all the triumph and tragedy, joy and pain, they had lived as few others had, lives they would not trade for anything.

* * *

END

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Okay, so it says END, but maybe not. I've been writing a little and you may see some surprises in the coming week. Stay tuned.

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The mention of Sun's near-fatal crash at Emerald Forest (Nurburgring) is based on Niki Lauda's fiery crash there in 1976.

\- Ruby's year in charge of the GPDA is based on 1982. Reese's crash on Gilles Villeneuve's.

\- Willow Schnee represents Senna and that weekend Imola 1994.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- The turbo era was already well underway by 1982.

\- Elio de Angelis was killed in a testing crash in 1986.


	19. Bonus - Just One

**Author's Note:** This is the first in a series of mini-stories I'll be posting. They cover what happened after the main story ended. Some are happy, some are sad. Some are based on real events, some are entirely fictional. I hope you enjoy them!

* * *

 _Just One_

Yang desperately wanted to take everyone to the Lake Lodge. With the season over it was time for a raucous party and the Lake Lodge was the perfect venue. But it was not her choice. Ruby was champion so she would pick the destination. She selected a restaurant attached to a winery on the far side of the lake. Even though Yang liked the place - it was where she and Pyrrha had eaten lunch before she proposed - she was disappointed. It was not quite upscale but they would have to behave. Yang could not afford to get thrown out of and banned from another winery.

Ruby took the place of honor at the head of the table. Her proud sister sat to her left and her best friend Penny sat on her right. It was a dream come true in so many ways. To Ruby it still did not feel real. Growing up she had always wanted to be an F1 champion, but only as a mechanic. Now here she was, a champion again, this time as the driver and the mechanic who designed the car. It had not been particularly close either. She had locked up the title in Forever Fall with three races to go. The only real competition had been Yang but inconsistent results left her a distant second.

A waiter came around with a bottle of champagne and filled the glass in front of Ruby. "Oh no, I don't drink." Penny said before the man could fill her glass. After the embarrassment and pain of being plastered at the Vacuo 500, Penny had sworn off all alcohol.

"Come on Penny, we're here to celebrate!" Yang encouraged. "At least have a glass for the toasts."

"Yeah, one glass won't give you a hangover." Ruby said. "Do it for me."

"Okay, but just one." Penny reluctantly agreed. She was still hesitant, looking at the glass of champagne as if it were poison. After the brief delay the waiter filled everyone's glasses. It took a few bottles, terrifyingly expensive bottles. It was alright. Just about everyone present was wealthy. Together their net worths rivaled the GDP of a small country. The influx of money from sponsors had infused the sport and its participants with more cash than they knew what to do with.

Yang stood. "A toast." She said. "To Ruby, a champion driver, a champion mechanic, and most importantly, a champion of a sister." It was surprisingly sentimental for Yang. She had had tears in her eyes when Ruby first hoisted the trophy, and now she did again. Champagne was sipped.

Penny found the bubbly booze to be surprisingly tasty. It was nothing like the disgusting concoction Qrow preferred. She stood, looking terribly nervous and lifted her glass. "A toast." She said, her voice shaky and barely audible. "To Ruby, I couldn't imagine a better friend. I don't know where I'd be without your support." More champagne was imbibed. Public speaking was something Penny feared more than death, and she downed her glass to calm her nerves.

There were more toasts to be made. Penny reluctantly agreed to have more champagne. That one glass turn into two, then three, then six as she continued to drink with her meal, abandoning her planned switch to water. By desert she was just as far gone as she had been in Vacuo, not that she could tell. Ruby had had too much as well. Having never actually been drunk before she had missed the signs and gone well beyond what should have been her limit. Yang had been subtly encouraging them to drink more and more, knowing they would put on a fun show to spice up the otherwise boring dinner.

"Penny, I'm really glad you came." Ruby slurred. "I know you don't like Mountain Glenn, and it really means a lot that you were here for me."

"I would go anywhere for you." Penny said. "I really like you a lot."

"I like you a lot too." Ruby said. She leaned over and hugged Penny. Penny pushed away, but only so she could reposition herself to kiss Ruby on the lips. Ruby looked shocked for a moment before getting into it herself. All the other conversation at the table halted immediately and all eyes focused on the pair sloppily making out at the head of the table. Yang could not help but laugh, all was going according to plan.

Finally the need to breathe broke up the couple. "Ruby…" Penny started.

"Penny, don't you…" Pyrrha tried to intervene. Yang was not having it. She grabbed Pyrrha on either side of the head and kissed her on the lips to shut her up. No, there would be no stopping this.

"...will you marry me?" Penny finished her question.

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. She grabbed Penny once more and they resumed their awkward display of affection.

Pyrrha finally succeeded in freeing herself from Yang's grasp. It was too late. "Are you happy?" Pyrrha groaned.

"You have no idea." Yang laughed. "I've been trying to get those two to tell each other how they feel for a long time. I knew getting them wasted would do the trick but this went even better than I could have hoped."

"You're a terrible person." Pyrrha said.

"I know." Yang shrugged. "But you married me."

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Mountain Glenn is still based on Watkins Glen.

\- The Lake Lodge is still based on the Seneca Lodge.

\- The winery restaurant the group visits is based on Wagner Vineyards.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- This story is entirely fictional.

\- Wagner Vineyards did not exist in 1973, the year in which the story is supposed to take place.


	20. Bonus - Enough

**Author's Note** : Warning, this story contains an OC (Willow Schnee, Winter's daughter). The star is a canon character, but the OC is and her interactions with others are integral to the story. I hope you'll put up with it.

* * *

 _Enough_

Schnee Automotive was in the midst of its biggest change in a long time. Weiss had retired at the end of the previous season after a career that had spanned a decade and a half and included three championships, two with the team. Reese, winner of the championship before Weiss' last two, was still with the team. She probably still had a few years left - she certainly hoped she did - but the writing seemed to be on the wall. Her time with Schnee Automotive was looking to be nearing its end. The problem was Weiss' replacement. There were plenty of accomplished veterans out there who would have loved to take the seat, but Winter decided to go with an untested rookie.

Granted, Winter was a little biased. The defending International F3 Champion was Willow Schnee, Winter's daughter. It was no surprise when she was promoted into the spot vacated by Weiss. Her youth - she was only 22 - was something of a concern, but Yang, Weiss and Pyrrha, the dominant drivers of their generation, had all gotten their F1 start at a younger age. It was clear from the start that Willow was more than a name. She was immediately faster than Reese in testing and the trend continued into the season proper.

Willow had outrun Reese in the first three races. The team was not at the height of its power and scoring points was a struggle. Then, in the fourth race, a boycott over the governing body's interpretation of the rules meant Schnee Automotive was the only truly competitive team that would take the track. Willow qualified on the pole but Reese got a better start. Reese led the race the whole way, maintaining a small but comfortable gap over Willow. Well, it was really Willow who was maintaining the gap. On the final lap she closed in and dove down the inside as the cars approached the hairpin. It was a dangerously aggressive move and Reese was forced to back out to avoid a crash. There were no other chances to retake the lead and Willow took the win.

Reese was furious. Not only had the move been borderline suicidal, it had been against team orders. For laps the team's pit board had instructed the drivers to maintain their positions. Then Willow went rogue, nearly took them both out and stole the win. Worse, rather than being reprimanded, Willow was praised for her aggression. Now Reese could see very clearly that she was not long for the team. Whatever the pros and cons of the move, Willow was the future of Schnee Automotive. Nothing would change that now.

Still, Reese was not about to go down without a fight. Willow might have more raw talent but it was just that, raw. Reese's experience could and would come into play, it was inevitable. Reese decided that her only goal was to beat Willow. It did not matter how or when. Reese was determined to show that she still had it. If Schnee Automotive was going to move on, so what? She would go to another team. It was rumored that Ruby was considering retirement - Ruby's comments at GPDA meetings had hinted as much - so Beacon GP would have an opening and they were the best team on the grid. If Reese could show some speed, as a former champion she would have a shot at the drive.

The fifth race of the season was in Mistral. Beacon GP and Team Juniper were not showing their characteristic speed. The track simply did not suit their cars. Schnee Automotive, on the other hand, had the speed. As practice and qualifying went on it appeared that it would be another showdown between Willow and Reese. This time Reese was not going to lose. She would simply not accept it. She led the first practice. Willow led the second. Reese led the third. Early in qualifying Reese put in a tremendous time that was good enough for the track record. It looked unassailable.

It was not. Willow was just as determined to beat Reese as Reese was to beat her. Switching her car to a more aggressive setup, Willow went out for another run. Her lap was blistering and she posted a time just a tenth of a second faster than Reese's. There were about ten minutes left in the session. When Willow returned to the garage and found out she had taken the top spot, she was sure Reese could not beat it. She took off her helmet and started to debrief with the mechanics.

Reese was boiling with rage. Not only had Willow somehow beaten her time, she was being so damn smug about it. It was a personal affront, an insult of the highest order. Reese instructed the mechanics to make modifications to her car. It would be twitchy, but it would be faster. Then she headed out for another run. She was going to beat Willow, no doubt about it. Nothing was going to stop her.

Reese started her lap, winding through the sweeping corners that started the lap. When she reached the chicane the first split time, she was just ahead of Willow's pace. She powered out of the tight chicane, heading uphill. She crested the rise and the track dropped down again, heading into a long, flat-out, left-hand sweeper. Gwen Darcy was ahead. She was not on a fast lap, having just completed one. Gwen saw Reese coming and started moving right to let Reese through on the preferred line. At the same moment Reese moved right to sweep around Gwen, not expecting her to move.

The cars touched. Gwen's car was turned left into the armco, a startling if not particularly hard hit. On contact the front wing was knocked off Reese's car. The sudden loss of downforce, combined with the contact with the low back end of Gwen's car, launched Reese's car into the air. It backflipped, landing on the nose and digging into the dirt. The cockpit was ripped in half and Reese, still strapped into her seat, was thrown out, tumbling across the track and coming to rest amongst some catchfencing as her car skidded to a stop in the middle of the track.

The first people on the scene were two drivers who had been following. Roy Stallion and Scarlet David stopped their cars and rushed to Reese. The force of the crash had been enough to rip her helmet off. The drivers untangled her from the fence and a doctor was on the scene in half a minute. She was already turning blue, not breathing. She still had a pulse, so there was some hope. She was intubated and ventilated to keep her alive as she was taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital.

At the hospital it was confirmed that Reese had a broken neck. She was put on life support, but there was little hope. Specialists from all over the world were contacted in hopes that there might be some experimental treatment to save her, but there was nothing anyone could do. Several drivers went to the hospital to check on her condition, but they went home despondent. Her husband arrived a few hours later. Her life support was disconnected and she died soon thereafter.

The news hit hard. Reese was the first driver to die in years. She was a veteran and former champion, someone everyone knew. Ruby was crushed. Her tenure as the head of the GPDA, the single person most responsible for driver safety, was only a few months old and already someone was dead. It was not Ruby's fault. The accident was a fluke. Still she blamed herself. The following day Ruby announced that she would retire at the end of the season. Things got worse when just three races later another driver died in a freak accident on the starting grid. Ruby would win the championship, but racing had lost its joy.

As hard as Ruby took it, no driver had nearly as hard a time as Willow. She too blamed herself. Reese had gone out in a rage specifically to beat her. Willow knew she had been wrong at the previous race. If she had been a better teammate, a better person, Reese might still be alive. The media only made things worse. They played up the story of the rivalry between Willow and Reese, saying Willow had driven Reese to her death. Reese had been very popular with the press - a partier who was always good for a sound bite, much like Yang - and they were quick to throw blame. Reese had also been popular with the other drivers and some blamed Willow, though those that mattered - notably Ruby - refused to so easily point fingers.

Willow would go on to have a long and successful career, but what happened with Reese always stuck with her. She never forgot. No matter how many times she was told it was not her fault, she would not believe it. She took it to heart and made a change. She was much more careful about how she acted, on and off track. She became known around the garage as the nicest driver in F1. She was universally loved and respected by her competition. Eventually she would take the position of leadership that had once been held by her mother, Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby, though with the GPDA disbanded that position was entirely unofficial.

Willow would go on to do great things, but it never stopped hurting.

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- This story is meant to take place in 1982.

\- The "fourth race" is meant to mirror Imola 1982.

\- Reese is playing the part of Gilles Villeneuve and Willow is Didier Pironi, sort of.

\- Mistral is Zolder in Belgium.

\- Gilles Villeneuve's fatal crash is described here pretty much as it happened.

\- The freak fatal accident on the starting grid occurred in Canada, taking the life of Riccardo Paletti.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Pironi was much less talented and more of an asshole than Willow.

\- Villeneuve was in no danger of losing his job but he did want to slit Pironi's throat.

\- Didier Pironi did not have a long and successful career. Aside from being a mediocre driver, he suffered career-ending injuries in a practice crash later in the year in Germany. In that time he failed to become a better person too.


	21. Bonus - That Horrid Weekend

**Author's Note** : Warning, this story contains an OC (Willow Schnee, Winter's daughter). The star is a canon character, but the OC is and her interactions with others are integral to the story. I hope you'll put up with it.

* * *

 _That Horrid Weekend_

Winter filed for divorce. She had been married to her husband for 35 years, but they had never really loved each other. That was not to say they disliked each other. They were perfectly good friends. The problem was that would never be enough. For years they had been married on paper only and both had had innumerable extra-marital relationships over the years. The marriage had originally been arranged by Winter's father for business reasons. The pair had remained together for just those reasons for a long time, but eventually they became irrelevant. Then they stayed together for just one reason. Now that reason was gone.

Their daughter Willow was dead. She had been born before Winter got into major motorsports, back in the early years of the marriage when both partners thought they still might grow to love one another. Willow grew up in luxury, mostly with her father, away from the race track. Winter did not want her daughter to follow her into such a dangerous profession. Winter had seen too many die, lost too many friends. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Winter recognized that it was inevitable that Willow would be a racing driver. It was one of the reasons Winter pushed so hard for increased safety and why she continued her crusade even after retiring.

Sure enough, Willow did end up behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car. After winning the International F3 championship, Winter put Willow in one of Schnee Automotive's cars. Her rookie year was a big success that included a trio of wins and saw her finish third in points. In her second year she was champion. Over the next few years she won two more titles and was widely recognized as the best driver of her generation. Unfortunately Schnee Automotive was no longer at the top of its game. For years it had been unable to match the cars fielded by Beacon GP and Team Juniper, and even when Willow was champion it had really been in spite of the quality of her car rather than because of it.

After 11 seasons driving for the family team, Willow decided to make a change. Team Juniper had won the previous two titles and now had an opening on its roster. Willow contacted Glynda and she agreed to give her the seat, assuming she could get out of her current contract with Schnee Automotive. Willow went to her mother and asked for a release. It was painful for Winter but she understood. As much as she hated to see Willow go, she wanted her to have the best chance at success. If that was at Team Juniper, that was where she should be. The release was granted and Willow had a new team.

Once again Nora had designed a winner. It was a bit twitchy, but it was incredibly fast. Through testing it showed great promise, only matched by Beacon GP's entry. Without Willow, Schnee Automotive languished in the midfield. The first race was in Atlas. As her home race Willow was determined to win and the fans were just as excited to see her take the victory. It was not to be. She won the pole but after losing the lead during pit stops she crashed out while pushing too hard to retake the lead. The second race was at Mantle, and it was even worse. Willow won the pole again, but as the cars thundered into the first turn on the first lap, the driver behind her lost control, slammed into the back of her car, and took both out of the race.

The third race was the Sanctum GP. Willow had won at the track three times with two other podium finishes. All through practice Willow dominated. It looked as if she might turn her season around. She certainly thought so. The car perfectly suited the track and there was no better driver.

The first practice was marred by a spectacular accident. Second year driver Nebula Violette lost control, ramped off a kerb and stuck a tire barrier while airborne. The car flipped over and landed upside down. She was taken to the track medical center, then to a hospital for tests. She was alright, well enough to return to the track the next day, but a broken nose and arm injury meant she would not race.

In qualifying the following day things got much worse. Rookie driver Brawnz Ni headed into the right-hand kink that immediately preceded the tight left-hand chicane at the end of the track's fastest stretch. Just before turning in, at top speed when the aerodynamic load was at its maximum, the front wing detached - it had been damaged by striking the kerbs the previous lap - and got caught under the front wheels. The car went straight on and slammed into the unprotected concrete wall just beyond the edge of the course at 195 mph. The car slid through the grass before spinning back onto the track where it came to rest. The car was destroyed, with one side entirely torn off and only one wheel still attached. Brawnz sat slumped in the cockpit, not moving. Safety crews rushed to the crash site. Brawnz was quickly extracted from the car but he was not breathing. The safety crew on the scene attempted to resuscitate him until the ambulance arrived. He was loaded in and taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. His neck had been broken and his death had been instant.

Willow was distraught. It had been over a decade since the last fatality in F1 and though Willow had been present then, it was still a terrible shock. Even if it was unofficial, she saw herself as a leader for the drivers and considered their safety her personal responsibility. That someone had died on her watch was unacceptable. She had to know more. She had to find out what had happened. Track officials tried to stop her but she commandeered the safety car and drove out to the crash site. Standing there, looking over the carnage, she cried, just as she had when the news had first been announced.

When Willow returned to the garage the race officials threatened to penalize her for going out against their orders. She did not care. Racing hardly mattered now. She needed to do something, but she had no idea what to do. She contacted the one person she knew she could always turn to for advice.

* * *

"Winter Schnee's office." The secretary answered the phone.

"I need to speak to my mother." Willow said.

"I'll transfer your call immediately." The secretary said.

"Schnee." Winter answered the phone.

"Mom…" Willow started. She was still too emotional and could not complete her sentence.

"Willow, what's wrong?" Winter asked. She had immediately dropped her stern demeanor and was instantly the loving, caring mother.

"Brawnz Ni...he crashed...he's dead." Willow managed.

Winter had been working and had not heard the news. "That's terrible." Winter said, unsure of what else to say. "Do you want me to come to the track?"

"No, that's...that's not necessary." Willow said. "It's just I...I don't know what to do. I have to do something."

"I don't think I'm the right person to talk to." Winter admitted.

"Then who is?" Willow asked.

"If Ruby's at the track, go talk to her." Winter suggested. "She's better informed than I am. She's a champion too. She'll know what to do."

"Alright, thanks mom." Willow said. "I love you."

"I love you too." Winter said. For some reason she hesitated to hang up the phone, waiting until she heard a click from the other end. She felt a wave of overwhelming sadness, and then it was gone.

* * *

Willow walked to the Beacon GP garage. "Is Ruby here?" Willow asked one of the mechanics. As technical director Ruby did not go to every race, but she tried to be at the track as often as possible.

"Yes, I'll get her." The mechanic replied. He walked off then returned a few minutes later with Ruby in tow.

Ruby looked just as distraught as Willow. She too knew what it was like to be a driver and what it was like to lose someone. "How can I help you Willow?" Ruby asked.

"Can we talk?" Willow asked. "In private?"

"Of course." Ruby replied. The pair went to Schnee Automotive's hospitality setup, heading into a meeting room in the back. "I'm guessing this is about Brawnz."

"Yes, of course." Willow sighed. She successfully fought the urge to cry. "I need to do something. I can't just sit here. What should I do?"

"Did you ask your mother?" Ruby asked.

"She told me to ask you." Willow replied. "She said you'd know better than she would."

Now the pressure was on. "I'm not sure about that." Ruby admitted. "I have my ideas but I'm not sure they're what you're looking for."

"Just tell me." Willow implored.

"Get the drivers united." Ruby said. "Get them to push for a change. Safety will only improve if you all work together to improve it."

"You mean re-form the GPDA." Willow said.

"Yes." Ruby confirmed. "It was a vehicle for change when I was driving. It's about time you brought it back."

"But what can I do now?" Willow asked.

"Honor Brawnz's memory." Ruby answered. "It won't be as hard as when I was driving. Get them to leave his grid spot open, maybe do something personal. Beyond that, I don't know."

"Those are good ideas." Willow said. "I'll start working on it immediately."

"Good luck." Ruby said as Willow rushed out of the room.

* * *

Willow got together with the other top drivers. They were all in agreement. At the next race the GPDA would be back with Willow at its head. A short conversation with race officials got the grid spot memorial done. Willow had something else in mind but it would have to wait. Qualifying was resumed. The show went on, just as it always had. Willow secured the pole by a wide margin. The next day she would start at the front and she was sure that was where she would finish as well. Then she would have the opportunity to truly honor Brawnz. In the warm up session the morning of the race she was almost a second faster than anyone else. It was going to be a runaway.

* * *

The start of the race matched the weekend to that point. The fifth place starter stalled on the grid. The 22nd place starter - unsighted by the cars in front of him - slammed into the back of the stalled car. Wheels and body panels went flying in all directions. A few pieces got over the debris fences, injuring a handful of fans. On track the safety car was deployed. A new feature the year before, it had only been used twice before. The remaining runners, led by Willow, followed the safety car at agonizingly low speeds. The safety car was withdrawn on lap six and the race resumed. Willow immediately jumped out to a big lead with a blistering lap.

On the following lap Willow entered the first turn, a flat-out left-hander called Tambourine. It was normally a very easy corner, with no skill required to take it at 200 mph. If things went wrong however, they went very wrong. The old track surface was bumpy and it was always teeth-chattering ride through Tambourine. This time Willow's car hit a bump hard, bottoming out badly and showering the second place runner in sparks. Much of an F1 car's aerodynamic grip comes from the air passing under the car, and suddenly this was gone on Willow's car. Lacking grip the car slid wide. She expertly kept the car from spinning while letting off the gas just a fraction of a second after the slide began, and was about to recover from the slide when she ran out of road.

Once Willow's car hit the grass she was just a passenger. There was only a narrow strip of grass before the the unprotected concrete wall. Willow's car struck the wall at a shallow angle but traveling around 135 mph. The right side was ripped off and the car spun to a stop in the grass beside the track. It had been a hard hit but appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary. Trackside cameras showed her moving briefly before slumping over. Thereafter she was motionless. The race was immediately red flagged.

Fire fighters were the first to the scene, but there was no fire and they left Willow in place until the medical crew arrived. When the doctors arrived it was immediately clear that Willow's injuries were grave. Her helmet - struck by her sheared right-front wheel and punctured by part of the suspension - was removed, revealing a large bloody gash above her right eye. She was carefully extracted from the car and laid on the grass. While removing her from the car, safety workers noticed a folded Vacuo flag, one she had intended to display in memory of Brawnz upon her victory. Dr. Glenn - still F1's head doctor and a personal friend of Winter and Willow - arrived to treat her. He opened her eyelids and could tell just by looking at her eyes that she had suffered a major brain injury.

Willow took a deep breath punctuated with a heavy sigh, then stopped breathing. Dr. Glenn performed a tracheotomy while other personnel attended to her wounds, immobilized her neck and began transfusing blood. The medical helicopter landed on the track beside the scene and Willow was loaded aboard for the flight to a nearby hospital. Her heart stopped shortly after arrival at the hospital, but it was restarted and she was put on life support. Winter was informed and left immediately for Sanctum but it would take hours to get there.

Meanwhile the show went on. Willow's car was loaded onto a truck and carted back to the garage while the track was cleared of debris. The race was resumed and run to completion without further drama. There was no celebration by the victors. Everyone knew the crash had been bad and most feared the worst. They had already lost one friend that weekend and many feared they had lost another. Many had thought the days of racing being truly life-threatening were over, but the weekend had already proved them wrong. Willow's crash only served to drive home the point.

Three hours after arrival at the hospital Willow's heart stopped again. The doctors decided not to restart it. The news was announced to the media minutes later. Winter found out when her jet landed at a nearby airport. She had not even had a chance to say goodbye. She went to the hospital to collect the body. With the wound above Willow's right eye now cleaned of blood, it did not even look that bad, certainly no worse than the gash that had given Weiss her scar. Willow looked peaceful, as if asleep. Aside from the obvious damage, Willow's skull had been fractured and punctured through the visible wound. Either would have been enough to kill her. Winter was so distraught she could not speak, she could not cry, she could hardly bring herself to move from the spot. But she had to. There was more to do.

Winter's next stop was the track. There would no doubt be a major investigation, but she was going to do her own. Her first point of contact was Ruby. Ruby was still in tears. She had been crying on and off since the news had reached the track. She could offer no new information. Winter found herself in the unlikely position of comforting someone else. Winter made her way to the Schnee Automotive hospitality. It was empty. She turned on one of the TVs and put on the news. There would no doubt be a replay of the crash. She only had to wait seconds. It had been replaying non-stop almost since Willow's death became known.

Winter's first thought was that something had gone wrong with the car. The prospect was almost too much to bear. Though she obviously had nothing to do with the construction of Team Juniper's cars, Willow would not have been driving one if Winter had not granted her a release from her contract. But as she watched replay after replay, from angle after angle, it became clear that the car had simply gotten out of shape and slid off the track before Willow could bring it back into line. It was nobody's fault.

Crashes like that were common in Tambourine. Just a few years earlier another driver had suffered a fiery crash in the same corner but walked away mostly unscathed. Willow's death had been a fluke. On impact with the wall her right-front tire had been sheared off. It was pinned between the concrete wall and the body of the car. With nowhere else to go it popped up, snapping back into the cockpit where it struck Willow's helmet. If not for that she would have walked away from the crash shaken, but unhurt.

* * *

Willow's body was laid in a casket and loaded aboard Winter's jet. Winter flew home with the body the day after the incident. Thousands of mourners were waiting at the airport. To the people of Atlas, Willow was more than a driver. She was a national hero, loved by all. Two days later a funeral was held. Millions lined the streets as the procession wound its way through Atlas. Many drivers, current and former, attended. Ruby was one of the pallbearers and cried continuously through the proceedings. Willow's parents were stoic in the grief.

The day after the funeral Winter stepped down as head of Schnee Automotive, both the race team and the company. Weiss took over. Winter also filed for divorce that day. Then she began a life of seclusion. She was rarely seen in public but the occasional family or company responsibility got her out of the house. Of course people asked about her daughter. Winter always just said she did "not talk about that horrid weekend." Most of the others who had been close to Willow took the same approach.

Willow left a large legacy. Off the track that came in the form of massive charitable efforts carried out in her name. The entirely of her fortune went to charity and Winter gave away most of her wealth in her daughter's name. On track Willow's death lead to massive safety improvements in the cars and tracks. It sparked a new dedication to improving safety the likes of which had not been seen since Winter's day. Not a single F1 driver was killed in a crash for over a decade. Willow's fellow competitors remembered her as a friend above all else. She had been dedicated to their safety and always been careful to be the best person she possibly could. She would go down in history as one of the greatest F1 drivers in history.

To her mother she had always just been the brightest light in her life. In her absence the darkness was oppressive.

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- As most of you will know, this is the story of Imola 1994. Nebula is Rubens Barichello, Brawnz is Roland Ratzenberger and Willow is Ayrton Senna.

\- Atlas stands in for Brazil (Interlagos), Mantle for Pacific GP (TI Circuit, Japan) and Sanctum for San Marino (Imola).

\- Barichello's spectacular crash and Ratzenberger's death occurred pretty much as described. They're both on film if you're interested in seeing for yourself.

\- Senna did go to the scene of Ratzenberger's crash against orders and was threatened with a penalty.

\- Ratzenberger's grid spot was left vacant at the start of the race, but at the urging of Bernie Ecclestone his team carried on with its other driver.

\- Tamburello Corner is represented by Tambourine, the English translation.

\- Senna's death is pretty much as described. Again, the crash is on film.

\- Senna had an Austrian flag in his car that he had intended to use to honor Ratzenberger.

\- Dr. Glenn stands in for Professor Sid Watkins, F1's top doctor for over two decades.

\- The charitable efforts started by Senna continue to this day, improving the lives of impoverished children in his native Brazil.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Willow's career and Senna's don't quite match up.

\- Senna had not been in F1 for the last death at a race weekend and Ratzenberger's fatal crash was even more of a shock to him. He was almost debilitated with grief.

\- Rather than contacting a family member of a mechanic for advice, Senna turned primarily to 2 people: Professor Sid Watkins - F1's head doctor and a close personal friend - and Alain Prost - total scumbag with an irrational hatred of Senna (will still bad-mouth Senna to this day) but a respected retired driver who had been around for the deadly 1982 season.

\- Senna's brother was present for his passing.


	22. Bonus - Repeating History

**Author's Note** : Warning, this story contains OC's (Summer and Phyrrus Xiao-Long-Nikos, Yang and Pyrrha's kids). They're just there to serve set the scene for interactions by canon characters.

* * *

 _Repeating History_

Six years after Willow Schnee's death F1 was a different world. For one, her enduring legacy of improved safety had really taken hold. Drivers still suffered injuries on occasion, but there had not been another fatality. The cars were much different too. The noses were higher, the tires were skinnier and grooved, and the driver was now cocooned inside a high-edged cockpit. The tracks had changed too. There had been a concerted effort to eliminate the most dangerous sections. There were more chicanes and more tires fronting the barriers. The series had expanded to parts of the world it had never visited before, racing at new tracks designed with safety in mind. Beyond safety there was a lot more money involved. Sponsorship funding and team expenditure had exploded. The TV rights, long a major source of cash, were now worth billions.

There were personnel changes too. Ozpin had sold Beacon GP shortly after Willow's death. The team was purchased by a group composed of Pyrrha, Yang and Ruby. Even as part owner Ruby still designed the cars for Beacon GP, but it was a larger team effort. Weiss had taken control of Schnee Automotive and returned it to the top. The key was a change in philosophy. Resources were diverted from the still superb engine program and poured into making the team's chassis better. They would need a car capable of competing with Ruby's and Nora's designs and after a few years of trying they finally had one.

A new crop of drivers was coming in as well, though some of the names were quite familiar. It would be the second season for Summer Xiao-Long-Nikos. After a year with an uncompetitive team, she was hired by Weiss to drive for Schnee Automotive. Weiss saw a lot of herself in the young driver, and it helped that they were already personally acquainted. Summer had not gotten along well with Yang, a clash of personalities being the core issue, and she was determined to succeed without Yang's help. She even dropped the Xiao-Long from her name, going by Summer Nikos. Her relationship with Pyrrha was only a little better - they were on speaking terms but not much more - and her overall family relationship was very strained. After winning the International F3000 championship, she was offered a drive with Beacon GP. The last thing she wanted was to drive for her parents, so she took a much less desirable position with another team. She managed to drive well above the car's capability - including a shocking podium in Vale - and caught Weiss' eye. Now she was a championship favorite.

Beacon GP had a young driver of its own, a rookie, Pyrrhus Xiao-Long-Nikos. His relationship with his parents was much better. He got along with them and was happy to have their help. He too dropped the Xiao-Long form his name - going by Pyrrhus Nikos - but only because the full thing was too much of a mouthful. He ran a fairly successful season of F3000, winning a few races but coming up short of the title. Ruby and his parents offered him a seat at Beacon GP and he readily accepted. The chance to jump straight into a competitive F1 ride was too good to pass up, even if there would be whispers that he was only hired for who his parents were.

The opening race of the season would be in Mantle. The test sessions leading up to the race had shown Beacon GP and Schnee Automotive to be the fastest with Team Juniper a little behind. Summer was quicker than Pyrrhus, but with a little time and experience he might just close the gap. Their respective teammates were not as fast as them, so it looked as if the championship might come down to the siblings. Pyrrhus was excited to be racing against his sister at the sharp end of the grid. He idolized her. Summer was less enthused. To her Pyrrhus was still the annoying little brother who would not leave her alone. He also acted too much like Yang for Summer's taste, though he seemed entirely oblivious to her antipathy.

Qualifying went well for the brother and sister. To no one's surprise Summer qualified on pole. She had dominated testing and the practice sessions and qualifying had also been a rout. The real surprise was that Pyrrhus would be lining up second. He had been near the top but inconsistent throughout the weekend, but managed to put together a great lap when it counted. It helped that his car was probably a bit better suited to the circuit than his sister's. A win for him on debut would be incredible, a feat not achieved since his mother Pyrrha had done so at Vale all those years ago. He did not inherit all of her natural talent, Summer was a more naturally talented driver as well, but he made up for it with fearlessness and an inherent feel for the car.

The circuit hosting the Mantle GP was a public-roads temporary circuit that ran through a park, around the perimeter of a small lake. Unlike Vale and most other street circuits, the park setting meant most of the corners had copious runoff room, and the barriers were rarely butted right up against the track. Some corners even had as much or more runoff as at purpose-built tracks. The track was also very fast for a street circuit. The one downside was that it was rather difficult to pass, as most of the corners were chicanes. The first corner was one such - a tight right followed immediately by an unwinding left - and whoever got there first on the start was highly likely to finish first.

Race day was sunny and hot. The cars rounded the track behind the safety car, then lined up on the grid for the start. The safety car pulled off the track just before the grid and the drivers forced their cars through a series of burnouts and sudden stops to warm their tires as they took their positions. As the last row formed up the medical car stopped behind them. A marshal crossed the track waving a flag to indicate that everyone was lined up and ready to go. The drivers focused on the series of lights hanging from a gantry over the starting line. One red, two, three, four...the drivers revved their engines, all five red, and lights out! With the scream of V10 engines and the squeal of tortured rubber, the cars peeled off the grid.

Summer got a good start but Pyrrhus got a better one. The cars initially pulled even as they leapt off the grid but as they thundered toward the first corner Summer started to pull back in front. Pyrrhus was determined not to lose out, holding out on the inside line and braking as late as he dared. He failed to take into account his cold tires and brakes. The front wheels immediately locked up and he skidded toward the corner out of control. Summer heard a screech and turned to look just as her brother's car slammed into hers. The cars entangled and slid off the track into the gravel just beyond the first corner. Yellow flags waved as the rest of the field streamed past.

Summer was furious. Her chance to take her first win was over and through no fault of her own. She pounded on the steering wheel for a few seconds before ripping it off, throwing it away and leaping out of the car. Pyrrhus was already out of his car, the visor on his helmet tipped up as he surveyed the damage. "What the hell was that?!" Summer shouted. "Are you out of your damn mind! You moron!"

"I'm glad you're alright too sis." Pyrrhus said. "I'm really sorry. I kind of blew it, didn't I?"

"Kind of?!" Summer screamed. "You drove straight into me! What were you thinking? How is anyone stupid enough to let a maniac like you anywhere near a race car?!"

"I said I'm sorry." Pyrrhus repeated. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"I really hope Ruby sees how much of an idiot you are and fires you." Summer hissed. "I know our moms won't have the guts to do it but maybe Aunt Ruby still has some balls."

"I haven't checked but I'm pretty sure her anatomy does not include testicles." Pyrrhus laughed.

"Go to hell!" Summer yelled. She considered striking her brother but instead turned around and stomped away, pushing through the attending safety crew to get as far away as possible.

"Love you too sis!" Pyrrhus shouted after her. That just made Summer more angry.

* * *

"I am not looking forward to the next family dinner." Pyrrha groaned. From her seat on the team's pit box along the pit wall, she had seen the crash very clearly. She could almost hear Summer's shouting. "This is going to take a lot more smoothing over than usual."

"Summer will get over it or she won't." Yang shrugged. She looked at the TV monitor on the box. "At least Pyrrhus doesn't look too broken up about it. He's just the next chapter in the proud Xiao-Long family tradition of crashing out immediately on debut."

"I was hoping we could start a Nikos family tradition of winning on debut." Pyrrha sighed.

"We can't all be as great as you." Yang laughed. "It sucks for Ruby though. It looks like there's a lot to fix before the next race."

"What the hell was that!?" Weiss shouted as she stormed over. As team owner Weiss was sure to attend every race. She wanted to be there if something happened. Something had, and now she was going to make her presence felt. "How could you put that maniac behind the wheel of an F1 car?!"

"That maniac is our son." Pyrrha said. Her anger was starting to build. She was generally more emotionally stable than Yang, but she was fiercely protective of her children.

"I'll handle this." Yang said. She did not want to experience another blow-up from Pyrrha. Pyrrha rarely got very angry, but when she did it could be terrifying. "Weiss, he made a mistake. I'm sure he's really sorry."

"He'd better be." Weiss said. "That idiot cost me the race."

"Quit it with the name calling." Yang warned. "He's a rookie. Give him some slack."

"There's no room for slack in Formula 1." Weiss said. "He's a danger to himself and others."

"This is his first race." Yang said. "Everyone makes…"

"Every Xiao-Long screws up their first race." Weiss cut her off. "Haha, family tradition. Give me a damn break. I hope the stewards ban him. It'll make racing in this series a lot safer with one less lunatic on the track."

"Weiss, we're friends, and I don't want to punch you, but if you don't shut up, I'm going to punch you." Yang seethed.

"Fine, but this isn't over." Weiss said. With that she stomped off.

"I really was about to punch her." Yang sighed.

"I was about ready to choke her out." Pyrrha growled.

The pair heard a familiar laugh behind them. They turned around to see the source. Who was strolling across the pit lane but Ozpin. He was incredibly elderly and rarely got to the track anymore, but he was always welcome. At nearly 100 years old, it was hard to blame him for staying home. "Funny how history has a way of repeating itself." Ozpin laughed. He stepped up onto the platform that lined the pit wall, standing just beside Yang.

"Oh, Ozpin, what are you doing here?" Yang asked. "You usually only come to the Vale GP."

"How could I not come out to see the debut of third generation Xiao-Long, driving for my old team no less?" Ozpin replied. "I had hoped to see him atop the podium, but I see he takes after his forebears."

"Very funny." Yang said.

"So, do you think he's a maniac too?" Pyrrha asked, still seething from the confrontation with Weiss.

"A maniac?" Ozpin said. "No, of course not. He's a little inexperienced, but he's got the skills he needs to be a champion someday. That is if his sister doesn't win them all. I knew your kids would be quick but they've exceeded my expectations."

"It's nice of you to say that." Yang said. "And I hope you're not just saying that because otherwise Pyrrha would kneecap you."

"I really mean it." Ozpin said. "Your daughter reminds me a bit of Weiss..."

"I don't exactly view that as a compliment at the moment." Pyrrha warned.

"...and your son reminds me of you Yang." Ozpin continued, ignoring Pyrrha's threat. "They're both going to be great drivers, just like you were. It's good to see the future of the sport in such capable hands."

Just then Pyrrhus arrived. "That could have gone better." He sighed. Pyrrha and Yang hugged him in turn. "This is going to make the next family gathering very awkward. Even more awkward than usual."

"The important thing is you're alright." Pyrrha said. Her anger had disappeared as if she had flipped a switch and she was in loving mom mode. "There will be other races and I'm sure your sister will get over it."

"I think you have a bright future ahead of you." Ozpin said.

"Thanks Uncle Ozpin." Pyrrhus said, shaking the old man's hand. "It means a lot to hear you say that. I really blew it today though."

"I wouldn't worry about it so much." Ozpin said with a smile. "Have I ever told you about your grandparents' first races…"

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- This story is meant to take place in 2000.

\- Mantle is based on Melbourne, Australia.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- This is one of those purely fictional stories.

\- Pyrrhus' trip from crash site to pits is a little too quick to be realistic.


	23. Bonus - One Last Ride

**Author's Note** : Warning, this story contains OC's (Summer and Phyrrus Xiao-Long-Nikos, Yang and Pyrrha's kids). They're very minor characters here.

* * *

 _One Last Ride_

It had been over two decades since Ruby had last driven a race car in anger, and even longer for Weiss, Pyrrha and Yang. Even if they never quite lost the itch to get back in the car, they had successfully resisted since their retirements. They still liked to think they still had the talent to do it if they so chose, but they could never race in F1 now. They were too old, their senses and reflexes surely dulled by the years. The young drivers of the day would surely eat them alive. Then, quite unexpectedly, a new door opened.

A group of businessmen got together and announced the foundation of GP Masters, a new racing series. Drivers had to be over 45 years old, former F1 competitors with a minimum of two full seasons of experience, and fully retired from all racing. The owners of the series were banking on it having the sort of success senior tours in other sports had seen. All would run identical cars - five year old Champ Cars with 600 horsepower V8 engines - to keep costs down and ensure a level playing field. It would be all about the drivers. There was tremendous interest from the fans and some serious interest from potential sponsors.

A few teams were formed and it looked as if the enterprise would take off. All it needed was drivers. That would not be an issue. There were almost too many drivers who wanted to join the series. Pyrrha, Yang, Weiss and Ruby all made the cut. It was easy for them. Pyrrha and Yang would be driving for Beacon GP Masters, a new division of the F1 team they already owned. Weiss and Ruby would drive for Schnee Automotive Masters, an offshoot of Weiss' operation. Sun also found a ride, as did Fox Alistair and Dew Gayl. The rest of the field was filled with drivers who had more recent experience, but none could match the prestige of the five classic champions.

The inaugural race would be held at Signalstone. It would be the only race of the series' first year, so race winner and champion would be one-in-the-same. Ruby and Yang felt confident. Though Signalstone had been extensively modified - to the point of being almost unrecognizable - since they had last raced, they had dominated the track in their day. Weiss and Pyrrha were feeling good too. They were both winners at the track in its past condition and felt that in any case their skills would carry the day. Sun was a bit more pessimistic about his chances. He knew there were drivers in the race who were almost twenty years younger, and they would have the physical edge.

Sun still rarely wore a shirt, but his once chiseled abs were now far less impressive. Pyrrha and Yang still kept in great shape, they had to just to keep up with one another, but Ruby and Weiss had let their physiques slip a bit over the years. At 57 years old, Yang's hair only remained blond with the help of dye, and at the same age Weiss' vision was starting to fade and she now wore glasses all the time. Pyrrha was the same age but the years had been very good to her, she looked like she could be 40. Ruby was no longer the little girl, but at 55 was now the still little old lady. Together with Sun and his six-flab they were a mildly comical sight, stuffed into racing suits employing technology that was lightyears ahead of what they had worn before. For all the aches and pains and good-natured teasing, it felt damn good to be back.

* * *

The first practice session would be a learning experience for all of them. The pre-season tests had all been carried out by others and they had not yet turned a lap in the car. They were shocked by its performance. The power was similar to the cars they had driven toward the end of their careers, but the grip! Twenty years on the aerodynamics were much improved and the cars produced enough downforce to drive on the ceiling at highway speeds. The tires were super grippy too, though that was nothing new. The transmission was something they had never experienced before. Gone was the old shift lever and clutch, replaced by paddles and a button on the steering wheel. On the whole it was an enjoyable experience, and they quickly adjusted.

With the race held during an F1 off weekend, many of the current F1 drivers attended. Pyrrhus was there to cheer on his parents. So was Summer. No matter how much she complained about her family, deep down she loved them. "How was it?" Pyrrhus asked as Yang got out of her car. After running a whole practice session she was drenched in sweat and out of breath. "These modern cars are a real handful right?"

Yang laughed. "I wish I was younger!" She exclaimed. "I'd wipe the floor with all of you! These modern cars practically drive themselves."

"You look pretty winded for having run a car that drives itself." Summer teased.

"You'll be old one day." Yang said. "Back in my day the steering was so heavy it was like driving a dump truck, and you didn't have all that downforce to help in the corners, and you actually had to shift! I'd like to see one of you kids try to drive an old car. You'd be lost."

"I think I'll stick with the modern machines." Pyrrhus said. "I don't like the idea of driving one of you rolling bombs."

Summer was not going to be so agreeable. "Is that a challenge?" She asked. "Let's go run a vintage event. I'll obliterate you."

"I think I'll have to take you up on that." Yang said.

Pyrrha rolled into the garage and gingerly stepped out of her car. She was not as exhausted as Yang but she was feeling some aches and pains. "That was incredible." She said. "I just wish I was 20 years younger. So, how were our times?"

"Slow!" Pyrrhus said cheerfully. "You're both two seconds off the pace."

"But it felt so fast." Yang sighed. "How could we be so much slower?"

"Well, the fast times were put in by drivers who are a decade younger." Pyrrhus shrugged.

"That's it!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "They've driven this track in its current configuration. They've got an unfair advantage."

"Maybe you two just don't have it anymore." Summer suggested. "Or you're just too old."

"It's times like this I wish I could still ground you." Yang said. "We're going to have to prove our daughter wrong, aren't we Pyrrha."

"Oh, we'll prove her wrong." Pyrrha said. "We're going to show everyone we've still got it takes."

* * *

Through the following practice sessions Yang and Pyrrha got faster and faster. They just needed to get back into the swing of things. It was all slowly coming back to them. Weiss, Ruby and Sun were getting faster too, and soon all five were on par with their younger rivals. When the final practice was run the morning of time trials, they were right there among the leaders. Qualifying was going to be close and everyone knew it. Fans flocked to the circuit, time trials drawing a crowd that surpassed many actual races held there. The chance to see big names from years ago in a real race was too enticing to pass up.

Come qualifying the five old champions had a mediocre showing. Yang ended up best of them in 5th, with Pyrrha 7th, Weiss 10th, Ruby 11th and Sun 14th. It could have been a lot worse, and they still beat drivers who were much younger, but it was a disappointment. There was always the race though. Besides, win or lose, fast or slow, they were having a fantastic time. Racing without the pressure, without the danger, without the fear, was just plain fun. That was what it was all about really, having fun. That's why the fans were there, that's why the drivers were there.

* * *

Race day was cool and cloudy, a typical day on Patch. The media presence on the pre-race grid surpassed some F1 races, and for once the drivers were happy to talk to the press. Without exception they gushed about how much fun they were having. The fans too had come in droves, and the race was a sellout. There was something of a carnival atmosphere. The race was not being run in the shadow of the spectre of death as it had in the drivers' day, and it was not corporate and sterile like a modern F1 race. It was special and everyone involved could feel it.

The cars rolled around the track for the parade lap as the fans cheered wildly. It was thrilling to see their old heroes, even as they just cruised around. With the cars lined up on the grid the focus was on the lights hanging from the gantry above the start line. One red, two, three, four...the drivers revved their engines, all five red, and lights out! Tires squealed and engines roared as the cars departed the grid for the short run to the first corner, Woods. The second place starter got a poor start, holding up right the line badly. Yang was immediately promoted to third and Pyrrha to fourth as the cars thundered toward the first corner.

Things quickly settled down at the front with the top four running line astern around the circuit. In the back Ruby and Weiss were charging. Other drivers may have had better single lap pace for qualifying, but they were consistently fast. They made their way up through the field and by halfway had joined their fellows at the sharp end. Sun made some moves as well but found himself mired hopelessly in traffic. He would not be a factor.

"Mom, you've got to go faster." Pyrrhus said over the radio to Yang.

"I don't want to break the car." Yang replied.

"You don't have to worry about breaking the car." Pyrrhus said. "Modern cars don't break like the old ones did! You can push all race!"

"10-4." Yang said. Summer would surely be giving Pyrrha a similar message so the time to go was now.

Yang got a good run coming out of The Cut and swept past the second place runner as they rounded Woods. Pyrrha followed her through. In two laps Ruby and Weiss had also made the jump. They had been pushing from the start to make up for their poor qualifying performance and did not need the encouragement that had been directed toward Yang and Pyrrha. With seven laps to go Yang dove up the inside of the leader as the cars approached the fast right-hand School. They ran through the corner side-by-side but Yang completed the pass on exit. Pyrrha and Ruby made the pass on entry to Woods on the next lap and Weiss followed into Church on the next circuit. Now the four led the race. Once laughed at as the 'Golden Oldies' they were showing that they still had the talent, still had the guts to drive race cars. They were outrunning drivers a decade younger and making it look easy.

As the laps wound down Pyrrha kept stepping out of line to attempt to pass Yang. Yang was having none of it. She threw blocks that would have given Weiss pause back in the day. It may have just been a friendly race, but a race was a race and Yang was determined to win it. Ruby and Weiss held on but their tires were worn and they could not really challenge. They diced with one another for third and the final step on the podium.

The last lap arrived and there was no time to wait. Pyrrha would have to pass Yang now or not at all. As they headed for School Pyrrha ducked to the right. Yang edged to the right as well to block but Pyrrha just kept going. She got alongside and Yang was not going to force her completely off the track. They ran into the corner side-by-side but Pyrrha had overshot. As they entered the corner Pyrrha could not keep her car on the inside line and began to slide left toward Yang. Yang saw this and edged further and further left. Yang ran out of track but Pyrrha still had too much speed. As they crested the rise in the middle of School, Pyrrha's left-front made contact with Yang's right-rear. It was only a light touch but enough to pitch both cars into a spin. They sild off the track and into the grass as Ruby and Weiss passed them for the lead.

Ruby held on to take the win with Weiss second. Yang and Pyrrha both got their cars going again and finished sixth and seventh, just behind the hard-charging Sun. Yang and Pyrrha both pulled into the garage at the same time and their children expected a fight. The slowly took their helmets and balaclavas off, undid their belts, and stepped out. Hyperventilating and dripping with sweat they walked to each other and stood face to face. Well, as face to face as they could given the height difference. They stared daggers at each other. For a moment it looked like they would come to blows. The angry expressions suddenly turned to big smiles and they burst out laughing before embracing.

"That was awesome!" Yang exclaimed.

"I know." Pyrrha said. "I don't think I've ever had so much fun."

"You're both insane." Summer gasped. "Absolutely insane."

"Should we go celebrate with Aunt Ruby now?" Pyrrhus asked.

"One thing first." Yang said. She and Pyrrha kissed passionately.

"Gross, old people making out." Summer groaned. "I'm out of here."

"Aww." Pyrrhus said. "You two are cute." They remained locked together for a while longer. "Okay, cut it out you two. Now it's getting weird."

Yang and Pyrrha broke their kiss and gazed into each other's' eyes. "You've still got it." Yang said.

"You too." Pyrrha said. "We'll have to do this again."

Pyrrhus looked at them uneasily. "I really hope you're talking about the racing."

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Grand Prix Masters was a real series that was mostly as described. It ran three races between 2005 and 2006 before the series declared bankruptcy and folded.

\- GP Masters included drivers ranging in age from 43 (Alex Caffi, technically outside the rules) to 64 (Jacques Laffite). Three had been F1 World Champion (Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi and Alan Jones who practiced but did not start due to injury).

\- Signalstone is based on Silverstone. I'm still really proud of that name.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- The first race of GP Masters was held at Kyalami in South Africa. I don't like the remodeled version of the track so I moved the race to Silverstone.

\- The drivers on the older end of the spectrum actually dominated. They had been the talented ones when they were young and it was no different when they got older. At 52 Nigel Mansell won two of the three races the series ran. Eddie Cheever (49) did win the second season's championship as Mansell fell out of the final race early.


End file.
